


We Are One ((Nathaniel X Reader))

by Anuyushi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 10:33:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 61,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12792723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anuyushi/pseuds/Anuyushi
Summary: How did everything go so wrong? Your friend has died, and everywhere you go, more and more mysteries pile up. You are the owner of the Bat Kwami, Kiwwi. But something strange is going on in Paris, and your time is running out. Will you crack the clues before it's too late? Or will you fall to an unknown threat? There's only one person you can trust now, and now it's your turn to save Paris when Cat Noir and Ladybug go missing. ♚[© 2017 | @Anuyushi]♛





	1. Prologue

"You're my friend, right?"

"Of course. Friends forever. I won't let anything happen to you."

"But you're life. And I'm death."

"That doesn't matter. You're my partner. I trust you with my very soul. We are one."

 

The darkness of night eloped the city in a cascade of shadows. The shining of the moon high above was the only light. Sharp blue eyes pierced the darkness, a smirk pulled at the ends of their lips. "I won't let them get away this time!"

The lithe body slunk around the alleyways, their cape dragged on the ground. "She's here, isn't she?" A girl whispered from behind. The first one nodded a reply, her eyes examined the tower before them. "Up top. Spiders love places like that. She's probably waiting for us."

"Nightstar." The girl muttered, looking away. "She scares me."

 

My partner whispered a shaky sentence, the fear obvious in her voice. I turned back, seeing her long brown hair cover one of her bright green eyes as she lowered her head. I set a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Viperfang. We fight her all the time. We'll beat her again. And hey, you're with me. Just like always."

Which was true. Her name was Arachnophobia, the spider girl. A young girl really named July, diagnosed with depression. Thanks to her constant sadness and self loathing, she's often akuma'tized. A spider... July wanted to study spiders. She loved them so much so it would make sense to become what she loved the most. Arachnophobia was a dangerous villain though. If July was shy and kind, her counterpart was exactly the opposite. It was our job to keep her at bay from the true heroes of Paris. Users of creation and destruction, their names were Ladybug and Cat Noir. Still training, they haven't been heroes long. There's no way those two could face July yet. Arachnophobia was different from most villains. The normal bad guys wanted revenge for something that happened to them but not her. She had no motive for what she does at all. She's the only villain with an intent to kill.

I'm sure they didn't know we existed at all, despite us protecting them. Viperfang sighed, then suddenly jolted up, gazing around the empty roads. Her tail shook fearfully, creating a rattle-like sound. What did she sense? Viperfang was a snake, that's her miraculous. She had told me not long ago that her miraculous had the same abilities as a normal snake. Sensing danger was one of them. She had scythes shaped in the teeth of the Rattle snake, which she used to fight. And what's even more awesome, was her nails. When she summoned her power, Viperfang was able to call up her venom. It wasn't strong enough to kill, unless she had her claws in long enough. But being scratched or stabbed with it was enough to paralyze. Luckily I'm on her good side. I always thought Viperfang was strong, ever since we first met. Such abilities I could only wish to have.

My name is Nightstar. The life miraculous was in my hands. Believe it or not, I'm the bat. It's my duty to show people life is possible in the craziest places. And who wouldn't believe it anyway? Bats do so much! Pollinate flowers, eat dangerous insects. Well, I don't do that stuff, thank god. But my power was cool too. If I call my miraculous, the sky turns dark. And I can turn dreams into reality. Anything I can think of becomes real in the dark. I've never lost a fight yet. Too bad it vanishes when my time is up. I'd totally dream up a Lamborghini. When I first found my powers, I was scared, terrified even. But Viperfang was with me. She was my guide, my mentor, and my best friend.

I can also use my cape as a sort of wing. I can glide if I jump off high places and flap a few times to keep afloat but it's not possible to fly far. Not like I would want to fly with a cape anyway. The tips of my cape had small claws on it, mimicking real bat wings. They're strong enough to hold me up if I really wanted to hang off something but those are my main weapons. Not as impressive as snake teeth blades but I get by.

With Viperfang's tail quivering, it was obvious she sensed danger. Was Arachnophobia close? I didn't have to wait long before someone landed before us. A grin over her mouth, she clenched her fists. Three extra pairs of real spider legs attached to her sides, waving in sync. We couldn't get close to those. Her armor was pure iron. Getting caught in those claws were deadly. She locked you in place, digging her legs into you like it was nothing. We found that out the hard way, when Viperfang once fell in her way on our first fight. They burrowed deep into your insides until the leg tips finally touched and you bled out. We had to find a way to fight her from afar, without getting hit with a clump of web. Like a real spider, she could make webs from a pouch in her gloves. Bothersome and sticky, but it wasn't as dangerous as the legs. She was a villain who would kill without a second thought, which made her even more dangerous. She had no motive for what she did, and no mercy.

"You again." July spat, lowering herself to all fours, well eights. "Look out!" My partner suddenly pushed me as she attacked. I was thrown to the ground, quickly having to pull myself up, grabbing hold of my cape. "Over here!" I tried to distract the villain's attention by waving my cape around obnoxiously. Viperfang had time to jump away, using her blades to haul herself to the roofs. Arachnophobia let out a growl, pulling herself back to her two feet. She raised an arm, suddenly spitting out a fire of web. I didn't dodge in time, and the web glued to my arm. Pulling it off wasn't enough. It was too strong. There had to be another way. July started closer, her legs clamped together, eagerly ready to sink themselves into a body. I snagged the web with one of my claws, attempting to cut it before she reached me. A scythe suddenly hooked around the web, leading back to Viperfang on the roof. She smiled with a wave, then gave a tug. The web snapped under pressure, letting me jump away. What did I have to break to return July to normal? It was always a different item. And she hid them away before finding us. There no way to tell for sure. "Viperfang go look for the akuma'tized item! I'll take care of Arachnophobia!" I called up. She looked ready to protest then nodded, jumping out of sight.

I looked back to July, a fierce gaze in her eyes. I didn't have much choice. I had to use my power. But it would be dangerous, if Viperfang didn't find the item. I'd only have a few minutes before my kwami tired out. I couldn't.. not yet. There had to be other ways!

"What are you upset about?" I started. A distraction could hold her off, for a while.

"Don't try to get chummy with me. I just want to see your bat-brained head in my web." She sneered. "Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly." July twitched, charging again. I was too late. A moment later, a sharp pain dug into my gut. I let out a scream. Her hands tightened on my shoulders, keeping me in place, as her legs started to rip into my skin. I couldn't move. House lights turned on, the residents probably heard my cry. People looked out their windows, I hope at least one of them is calling the police. I needed backup! I was so stupid for sending Viperfang out alone! I could feel my own blood leak out of me, pushing in harder. No. I would not go out this way! I grabbed a hold of the upper legs, pushing against them. With all my strength, I fought to spread them apart. Then before long, there was a snap. The legs fell away, I could hear I had broken a gear perhaps. With the top one out, the others followed. I jumped back, pressing my arm around one of the bleeding wounds. How far in did they go? "It's rude to interrupt someone when they're trying to eat." July murmured, gazing down to her broken top legs. "I was mad before. Now I'm furious." Her voice came out so monotone, it sent a chill down my spine. I couldn't wait any longer.

"With the flight of my colony, I call upon my miraculous! Kiwwi!" Raising my fist in the air, my wristband flashed. A wall of black blocked the moon, leaving the area perfect for my domain. "I think shackles would be nice." I tapped my chin with my free hand. A moment later, glittering white chains pulled Arachnophobia down to her knees. She struggled against the binds to no avail. "How do you like your meals again? Wrapped up?" I laughed at my own joke before white binds tightened around her. July yelled but her words couldn't be made out. An eye on my band flashed out. The eyes of night. I only had five of them. Once they went out, my miraculous would get tired and i'd go back to normal.

Viperfang hurry! I quietly begged. "I don't like this any more than you do." I moved closer. "So I can let you free if you tell me where you hid your akuma'tized object." I lowered the ropes a little off her mouth, giving her the opportunity. But when I did, she lunged forward, snapping her teeth. "I guess that's a no." Another light went out as a minute did. I had to keep her held down until Viperfang returned. There wasn't much I could do.

Three

Two...

My heart skipped a beat as the final one went out. Still no sign of Viperfang. The light of the sky returned as my wall fizzled away. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. The dream items vanished, my costume turned to nothing. My miraculous hit the ground, dazed. I... Failed?

I couldn't do it this time. What did I do wrong? This was our plan every-time. I could always take her on alone before. July dived for my miraculous. I tried to grab him first. Then it happened. Someone attacked from behind. A flash of green crossed my eyes, July jumped away. And I was hit. A hand thrust into my chest, venom pumped through my veins.  
"She's not waking up."  
"Don't leave me!"  
"Sleep now. It will all be okay."  
NO!  
It all returned to normal speed, and I was looking into the eyes of Viperfang. A look of horror was in her eyes. She pulled back, covering her mouth in fear. "Oh my god." She shook her head. "(Y-Y/n). I'm so sorry! I'm so..." She closed her eyes and looked away. "I hurt you! I knew this would happen!"

She cried out my real name.

Everything started to go dizzy. The venom with the gashes was a deadly combination that was taking its toll quickly. I was ready for this. I wrapped my arms around my friend, setting a hand on her head. "I failed." I muttered. "Protect my miraculous. Find someone who can become the new Nightstar, okay?" I started to pull my bracelet off when she suddenly reached back and stopped me. "No. You are Nightstar. Doing this is what you are meant to do. It wouldn't be the same without you."

"What are you planning to d-" She suddenly cut me off, giving me a quick kiss on my forehead. Huh!? When Viperfang stopped, she backed up and closed her eyes. "I am death. It's all I stand for. No more though. This time, I'll be giving life." She handed me a item, pushing it to my chest. Before I got to see it, everything flashed blue. It was so dazzling I had to look away. Then unimaginable pain. I wanted to scream but no words came out. I tried to reach down for Kiwwi, finding my grip on him, I tried to hold on too. But something was changing. He started growing, moving. I felt my short hair touch my waist. The pain became too much. I passed out, but not before feeling the item in my hand shatter.


	2. Part 1: "Confusion", Chapter 1: What am I?

"Wake up." A quiet voice called from above. A small hand prod into my cheek. I opened my eyes, seeing Kiwwi above me. He didn't look like himself though. The tiny bat had a strange tail, half his face was green and two sharp curved fangs peeked from his mouth. I didn't feel the stabbing points anymore. But I ached everywhere. I pushed myself up off the hard ground. The sun was high above now, and people seemed to give me strange looks as they passed by. What happened last night? Where was Arachnophobia? I felt something in my hand. Didn't this break? Raising it up, I saw a small whistle. This was the object? It must have repaired itself when everything reset. So July must have ran off.

But.. Where was Viperfang? "Kiwwi..." I rubbed my head. "What happened?"

My miraculous frowned a reply. "Something that hadn't happened in thousands of years. Perhaps we should go somewhere private to talk."

 

"So tell me exactly what happened." I looked around the bridge we were beneath. The walls were graffiti-ed out. But it was abandoned and quiet. "Viperfang and you.." Kiwwi sighed. "You've become a single being. She gave her soul to save yours. But to do that, she had to give up her physical being. So you've fused together."

I brushed my fingers through my now long hair. The coloring of Viperfang's brown hair seeped in with my colors. "This is insane. So then she's... In me?"

Kiwwi shrugged. "Her spirit is asleep. Only a very skilled healer can remove her. And even that's unlikely they'll succeed without killing you."

"This is ridiculous!" I finally stated. "How can we fuse!?"

"Calm down!" He cried out quickly. "We can't lose our heads. When one miraculous user kills another, they can only bring them back with giving up their own life.`" He bit his lip. "You weren't dead yet, so your souls became one. In a normal circumstance of you already being dead, her soul would have pushed yours out and you could have come back normally." Kiwwi looked down at himself with a frown. "I guess some of that hit me too. I feel so heavy with this tail." He float to my shoulder, hooking himself around my hoop earring. I only wore one so he could perch when he wanted too. Even partly a snake, Kiwwi was still a bat on the inside. He tightened his wings around himself. "I hope we can still work like this." He let out a yawn. "You sleep." I stroked his head with a finger. "I'll try to get this solved." I paused, thinking. Then it hit me. "I need the other miraculous users. I have to find Ladybug and Cat Noir."

 

The only problem was... How? They kept their identities hidden when there's no danger. And would it really be safe to leave the area with nobody to hold off July? That.. Gave me a dangerous idea. I could summon them with Arachnophobia the next time she came around, but if I couldn't beat her, how could they? No. They weren't ready. I had to find them on my own and take that risk. Until they come out of hiding, my best option was to wait. For now, I needed somewhere to stay. I couldn't go home in my condition. I recalled a nearby hotel but that would cost money that I didn't have. Damn! What am I supposed to do?

I didn't have time to wait. I had to find them soon. "Kiwwi..." I sighed, shaking my head. I felt so lost. I loved Viperfang. She was my best friend, my partner, but being fused with her wasn't something I had planned. I didn't plan to die either though. She saved my life last night, but at what cost? A tight pain twisted in my chest, the memory of her death still fresh in my mind. I didn't have time to dwell though. My body felt heavy again, an exhaustion overtook my whole being. I let out a large yawn, stretching out my arms then trudged out into the open. I think my phone was still alright, I hoped. Wasn't there a blog page dedicated to Ladybug? That could give me some hints to her whereabouts. For now though, this fuse could be a gift. People saw my miraculous vanish last night, they saw my face. I didn't look similar at all now, so I could move around safely. I unlocked my phone and opened up the internet, typing in the blog URL and pulling up the page. The first few posts were unimportant. A picture of Ladybug shaking hands with the mayor, the blog creator's selfies, Ladybug replica merchandise, then I saw one. It was both of the duo. The picture was shaky but they were fighting a villain on the football field of a familiar high school across town. They seemed young enough to be students. That would be the best place to go first! I pocket my phone and started down the sidewalk. Too bad I didn't have any money for a bus either.

 

"(Y/n)." Kiwwi suddenly whispered. Finally, he woke up. "What?" I muttered, not taking my eyes off the sidewalk in front of me. "Do you have a plan? Don't tell me you're just wandering aimlessly."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "Of course I do."

He sniffled the sighed. "Sure. Lead the way o' great one."

"You know, I've always wondered." I started. "Why are you called miraculous? Why not Marvelous... Or Ridiculous?" I smirked to myself. "Because that name is already taken by you." Kiwwi retort, hopping off my earring to sit on my shoulder.

"Touche'."

"Anyway, what are you going to do now?"

"I need to find the other users." I began to explain. "If this fusion happens to miraculous users, even rarely, being with the others could give me some clue on what to do next."

"Nine." Kiwwi muttered when I finished. "There's nine known kwamis." He used the technical term for miraculous. "You and Viperfang were the first two. Ladybug and Cat Noir are the next ones. Three are missing. And the last two are held by a healer and a villain. But I don't know where the healer is." He tapped his chin. "He keeps himself hidden."

"All the more reason to find the other users. They might know something I don't."

A large truck drove by at that instant, drowning out Kiwwi's reply for a few seconds. When it vanished around the corner, the kwami let out a groan."How much longer will it take to walk?"

"As long as I need." I lowered my eyes to my feet. "I can't transform, can I? What would happen if I tried?"

"A fusion has happened before. I'm sure there could be a chance to transform safely. I don't know much about it though. Do you want to risk it?"

The question brought me back to my thoughts. Life and death are brought together. I was Nightstar, the owner of the life miraculous, Kiwwi. My real name is (y/n). But now I wasn't so sure anymore. Was I the death user too? And what of Viperfang's miraculous? Ibbi the serpent was fused with Kiwwi. I had to find the healer for them as well. Ibbi was still alive! She was trapped and probably scared too. Viperfang was in costume when she traded her soul, so it was logical Ibbi followed. I don't know much about Ibbi, I haven't even seen my partner's face before. She's seen mine though. Well, no point in hiding it anymore. Everyone that was in those houses last night probably saw me. I'm most likely all over the news by now.

"I have to try. Are you ready?" I looked to Kiwwi. He looked so strange. His ash colored fur around his face was green, a single eye belonged to Ibbi. The flaps on his neck wasn't there before either, leading down to a yellow stripe along his tiny belly. The insides of his wings were covered in scales, and finally, the long tail with the rattle at the tip that had been pulling Kiwwi down when he tried to fly. Seeing the mix of all different snakes, it was safe to bet Ibbi was a mix of all kinds as well. Kiwwi was just a simple fruit bat, hence his name. He returned my gaze and nodded. "Yup. Let's give it a go. Say the word (y/n)!" He stretched out his wings. I rushed behind a bush to change. Taking a deep breath, I spoke. "Take flight!" I closed my eyes. Kiwwi vanished into my bracelet, and I felt the costume rush over my skin. It felt heavier than before, and slightly uncomfortable. My now long hair tumbled down my back, strands got caught in my claws. I pulled at my cape, trying to free it but to no avail. Man.. This was already getting annoying. How did she manage to keep her hair this long and still fight? With a quick tug, I ripped the hair from my claws, and began to braid it up. It would stay out of the way like this. After a quick, loose braid, I tossed it back over my shoulder and it sat comfortably along my neck.

Then picking the torn strands from my claws, I tossed them away. "Alright. Let's see how this works." My costume was... So different. It matched Kiwwi's new colors. It was be hard to hide in the shadows with a bright yellow stripe and shaking tail.

This didn't feel right. I placed my hand over my chest, feeling a single heartbeat. "You're in there though, aren't you, Viperfang?" I looked back across the street. Nobody seemed to notice my transformation. In fact, I don't think they paid attention to me at all. Not many people knew about us. Viperfang and I, we worked in the shadows. Our only purpose was to protect Ladybug and Cat Noir until they're able to take on the powerful villains on their own. Get to the bad guys before the bad guys find them.

Everyone probably thought I was just some weird cosplayer but I don't care. I don't... Care. I just need to return to my old self. And the high school across town was my only lead. I charged forward, trying to reach top speed. Quickly crossing the street, I gave a huge jump to the building sitting there. In the air, I immediately felt the pressure pulling me down. I barely reached the roof. Throwing my cape around, my claws hooked to the railing and I managed to struggle up. Why was I so heavy? I still had normal limbs and longer hair shouldn't pull someone down so much. Was this just a side effect? Or maybe it was me? Maybe this weight was all in my head. Even if is it, it felt real.

The rooftops would be the fastest way across town, even if I couldn't fly. My urges told me to get to a high place and fly but with all this weight, I'd plummet.


	3. Chapter 2: Where Do I Belong?

I remember being so scared. My whole body was covered in sweat. My heart pounded in my chest, faster and faster. My eyes scanned around, while my arms wrapped around my shoulders. I felt the sticky substance dripping down my forehead. I could barely walk. It didn't take long for my knees to buckle before me. I hit the ground, washing my body in even more pain. Why did this happen? I was innocent! Just when I started to feel hopeless, my world began to fade, someone stepping up. A hand was held down to my face and I heard a gentle whisper. "You're pretty brave. You couldn't defeat him but you fought anyway. Try to stand. If you can stand, I can save your life."

My life? Everything that had just happened seemed to go by in a blur. What did happen? I wanted answers. That alone gave me the energy to try and pull myself up. I managed to get to sitting on my knees, heaving a breath, and looking up towards the stranger. Her face was hidden behind a scaled mask. But a smile etched over her lips. Her hair was a soft chestnut brown and was long enough to reach the back of her thighs. She was beautiful, though I had never seen someone dressed in much a consume before. She hardly looked passed middle school. I raised up my arm, shaking from shock, and got a tight grip on her hand. The girl pulled me to my feet, putting in most of the work. When I was standing, I felt myself sway slowly and swallowed a lump in my throat, doing my best to stay up. "C-Can you help m-me now?" I tried not to stutter but failed miserably. All I could focus on was the immense pain I was in. She pulled something from a small pouch around her shoulder and offered a small accessory. I looked down to a black wristband sitting in her palm. "How is this s-supposed to help?" My heart sank. Was she tricking me? The girl smiled and gave a nod. "Trust me. Your name is (y/n), correct? I choose to give this to you, after I saw what you did out there."

"Right... What.. DID I do?" I had to ask. My head ached. Something must have hit me hard.

"A villain is out there. A boy dressed as a plague doctor with a long mask and black robes. He calls himself Doctor Death." She frowned slightly. "I don't know who he is. Or why he decided to hurt people. But it's my job to stop people like him, until you threw yourself at him. I saw the whole thing from afar. He threw you down and..." The girl trailed off. "A metal pipe to the head. I managed to chase him away for now but what you did there-" She giggled quietly. "It was either very stupid or very heroic. Either way, if you take this, everything will be explained."

I gazed down the the wristband. Could I trust this? A villain? Would I really do something like that? Regardless, I raised the bracelet up, capturing the moon in the hoop, then slipped it on my wrist. Almost immediately, it began to glow. I looked to the girl quickly, hoping she'd say something but she just smiled. When the light died down, a small creature float in front of me. I nearly jumped back in surprise but it hurt too much to move like that. The creature gasped, a smile spread over it's face. "I-It’s a bat." Was all I could muster out. "Yup! And you're a human! My human master!" The voice sounded like a little boy. Voice... "You can talk!?" I covered my mouth in surprise, gaping under my palms. The bat twirled around, flapping its small wings. "I'm Kiwwi! Pleased to meet you! From now on, I'm your miraculous and you're the new hero of life, Nightstar!"

I looked to the girl, who stared at Kiwwi, looking pleased. "This is your miraculous now. Mine is named Ibbi, the serpent. Once you transform, your wounds will heal. All you have to say is 'Take Flight." She explained. "It's your choice though. Will you become the life user, and protect the city and the secret of the miraculous?" She questioned slowly. "Or will you succumb to your weakness?"

My weakness... I was afraid to die. If I say those words, would my life really be saved? I took a deep breath, not hesitating any longer. "Kiwwi, take flight."

That was.. a long time ago. Before bad guys were nothing more than akuma'tized. They were serious bad guys. And our first victory was a mimicking plague doctor, Doctor Death who turned out to be a young adult reenacting one of his favorite storybook villains. That was where our story began. Viperfang had told me that a healer gave her Kiwwi to give to the next user. I had almost completely forgot about it all. She knew the healer. If only she was still... Herself. Alive and in her own body.

Before I knew it, I was beside the school, looking up at the large building. I was lost in thought the whole way here. This had to be the right place where the picture was taken. I hoped it was. Looking around, the streets appeared empty. Of course, school and a majority of jobs were in progress. It was safe to change back. Returning to my normal clothes, Kiwwi shook his head, letting out a yawn. "(y/n) i'm sleepy." He rubbed his normal eye with his wing and plopped down on my shoulder. "You're here?"

I nodded, giving him a smile. "This has to be it. Once we find the healer, we can go back to our normal jobs. I don't like being so far away from July's school." I rubbed my chin, thinking upon it. "According to her patterns of transforming, the insect lounge is closed every two weeks. That's when she changes."

I had it memorized. Everyday, July visit the insect lounge, where she visit after school. It was the one place she felt happy. And when it closes, she becomes akuma'tized. I thought it was pointless info when I first found out, but now, I know how long I have. I can't fight in my current condition and the other users are too inexperienced. So I have two weeks to turn back to normal.

"Good point. What about the butterfly?" He hooked a claw to my rounded earring and hung himself upside down. "Don't worry about that. July grabs them to collect on her own when she's back to normal. Remember? Only Ladybug can purify them. But they're harmless when they're in a jar." I grinned, then let out a deep breath. "I just hope I know what i'm doing."

"So what IS the plan? You can't waltz into a school that you don't even go to and announce you're looking for Ladybug and Noir." Kiwwi swung himself a little, rocking himself asleep.

"Of course. That's why i'm going to register and wait until they show themselves."

"I feel like you have everything planned out." The small bad giggled. "That's not true." Rolling my eyes jokingly, I force a smile. Not true at all. What will I even say if I find them?

Slowly, I push open the double doors, blanking to take in the strange looks of the school. When I got a hold of my surroundings, I found myself in a strange room. It looked like a short, entree staircase leading to an open courtyard. Two stories of floors connected with stairs, with doors to classrooms on each floor. But I didn't see any office. Perhaps there's another hall or a teacher might know where to go. I clicked my tongue, catching Kiwwi's attention. He blinked his eyes, gazing around. "What is it? What do you see?"

"You." I opened my pocket a little. "You need to hide better. You'll be seen if you hang there while i'm here."

Reluctantly, Kiwwi obeyed and jumped down to crawl into one of my pockets. "It's cramped." He muttered irritably, shifting around."

"Kiwwi would you just-"

"Can I help you?"

The voice caught my attention, and I felt Kiwwi freeze. When I looked up, I saw an older looking man approaching me. But when I glanced around, I didn't see any signs of his origin. "H-Hello yes." Straightening up, I nodded. "I'd like to apply here, merci." With a smile, the man grinned. "Ah of course. Welcome to Collège Françoise Dupont. I'm the headmaster, Mr. Damocles." The man offered his hand. I swallowed, shaking it and putting my hands behind my back. How would I look to a headmaster? Mr. Damocles looked around a moment then his eyes landed back to me. "Where are your parents? Shouldn't they be with you?"

Oh man. I didn't even think about that! My parents were normal people. They didn't know about my secret at all. And they definitely didn't know what happened to me. I had to lie for now. "I don't have any." I started. Alright where was I going to go with this? "I lived on the streets and I don't have any guardians. I want to go to school though."

I finished my lie with a smile. As the headmaster stared at me suspiciously, I felt the sweat on the back of my neck. Would he call my bluff? Suddenly he grinned, turning his back. "Alright then. You just have some forms to fill out. Shouldn't take too long."

As he said that, I felt my chest almost burst. He really bought that? Well, i'll only be here for two weeks anyway. If my plan goes through before two weeks, I should be back to my normal self and he'd never see me again.

I was led down a side hall through a brown door. From there, it started to look like a normal school. wood flooring, a red and white striped wall, even potted plants. "My office is right through here."

I nodded a reply and the principal opened another door. It looked like any normal office from any school. Pretty boring office decor not even worth paying close attention too. There was a silver desk covered with paperwork. With two chairs around it. One for the guest and one for the principal. Mr. Damocles cleared his throat and sat down in the chair facing the door. He waved his hand, gesturing me to come closer and I obeyed, making my way to the second chair. "I just need you to fill out some papers. Normally..." He raised a clipboard, holding two or three papers on it. "You would need to wait a few days for a parental background check. But seeing that you have no parents, you can start today once you finish filling them out. And your information will be processed by tomorrow."

Well, that was a relief. But another problem await me. I couldn't put my real name! If they search me while doing a background check, they'll know who I am. That would cause unnecessary trouble. A false name is all I can do for now. Quickly, I scribbled down the first thing that came to mind. Raven Cambre.

People would be looking for (y/n) (l/n). Not Raven. The rest of the papers, I filled out with truth then handed it back. Mr. Damocles checked the information then nodded. "Everything seems in order. Welcome to school." Quickly, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. The phone buzzed twice then he started talking, assuming someone picked up. "We have a new student today." Mr. Damocles started. "She's going to be joining you class."

He paused a moment then nodded, even though the other speaker couldn't see him. "Alright. I'll send her right up."

He set the phone down and looked back up where I waited "You can go up now. Your classroom is on the second floor. Just head back out, then go up the second flight of stairs on your right. Your classroom is the first door when you get to the top."

Without another word, I pulled myself up and turned to the door. Kiwwi shifted in my pocket again but stayed silent. I followed the instructions up to the staircase, where my body grew heavier suddenly. It was like a rock dropped in my stomach. I swallowed, standing before the stairs another moment. "(y/n) we can't wait like this." Kiwwi suddenly hissed, snapping me back. "You're right." Without another moment of hesitation, I heaved myself up the stairs. Each step pulled against me more but I forced myself farther until I reached the top. I had to take a break before getting to the door to catch my breath. So this is it now. My mission has officially begun.


	4. Chapter 3: What Is My Name?

Their eyes were all on me. What would they think of me? I probably looked as much like a freak as I felt. "Class-" The teacher smiled. "Say hello to Raven." She waved her hand towards me. I gave a short wave, turning my head to my feet. Why was I feeling so shy right now? "Hello Raven." A few students muttered. "Why don't you sit..." The teacher tapped her chin. "Right there." She pointed to the only empty spot in the whole class. Luckily, it was in the very back. Nobody could stare at me without me knowing! Luck was shining on me right now. I followed her hand and hurried to my seat. The desks were one table with two chairs. The room grew higher the more you went back with small steps following up. I took my seat and let out a sigh. The students didn't seem at all interested in my arrival. I glanced to the person I sat beside but he didn't seem bothered either. The student was sitting quietly, sketching in his notebook. Well, I wasn't here to make friends anyway. The day was already almost halfway over and I just entered class. This was way behind schedule.

"Now back to our topic." The teacher picked up a ruler. "Who can tell me the answer to this?"

She cleared her throat. "What is given to wood whose normal cells have been replaced with mineral deposits?"

A few students raised their hands and she pointed to someone. "Rose!"

A girl stood up with a smile at the sound of her name. She had short blonde hair and wore mostly pink.

"P-PETRIFIED WOOD!" She called out, louder than needed.

"Good job." The teacher gestured for her to sit. "Next question."

I wanted to let out a groan but held it in. Yeah, this was a pretty normal school.

"What percent of fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation rather than burns?" The teacher opened a textbook that was waiting on her desk. "We went over this last week so everyone should know it."

"That's so easy." A girl up front snarked. "It's obviously eighty percent."

"Correct Chloe but please raise your hand next time."

At that moment, the classroom door flew open and a girl stumbled in. "S-Sorry i'm late!" She seemed to be exhausted and rushed to her seat. The teacher pushed her glasses up her nose and shook her head, obviously displeased. "Again? Since you act like you don't need to be here, being late almost everyday, you'll answer the next question."

The girl was in a daze, looking confused on what was happening but didn't say anything as the teacher browsed the textbook for another question. "Pollination by birds is called what?" The teacher smirked, waiting for the girl's answer. "Isn't that... Entomophily?" She scratched her head.

"A-Actually Marinette, it's ornithophily." The boy beside me suddenly spoke up, raising his hand a little.

"Got it wrong, Mari." Chloe giggled. "Entomophily is insect pollination."

"And you would know this if you weren't late to class so much." The teacher turned her back and began to draw on the board. Marinette dropped her head on her desk, looking slightly upset.

"Final question!"

The class all silenced though, most of them weren't even paying attention. I wouldn't be either if I wasn't on a mission. "What is archaeology?"

I felt my heart skip, quickly knowing the answer. I raised my hand, and the teacher's eyes glided towards me. "Raven. Go ahead and answer."

Marinette turned around, confused again, seeing a new student had arrived while she was gone. I kind of felt bad for her. But I spoke the answer with confidence. "Study of spiders or scorpions or relatives of spiders."

When the teacher nodded, I let out a relieved sigh, quietly thanking Arachnophobia for the information about spiders. After that, I started to tune out, falling into my own little world. I felt Kiwwi twist around in my pocket to try and get comfortable again. I let my gaze wander around while the quiz continued. Who in here could possibly be my targets? I glanced over to the boy beside me, still drawing. he was rather good at it and I felt myself being pulled in. It was a girl, draped in soft sheets. her eyes were closed and flower petals brushed around her in a soft circle. They curved, showing that they were also spinning around her too. That was amazing. She had shoulder length, fluffy hair and short clothes under the drapes as well. "That's wonderful." I couldn't help myself from speaking. The boy flinched, dropping his pencil and turning towards me. "U-Um yea, thanks, I suppose." He scooped up his writing utensil again and brushed a worksheet over his drawing shyly.

I looked up as a student dropped a worksheet before me and I finally let out that groan. I didn't have time for this but I didn't have much a choice.

 

The bell rang out and I dropped my pencil, scooping up my work and setting it onto the teacher's desk. The class all filed out for lunch. I lingered a little longer, giving the teacher a smile as she followed the others out as well. "So what do you think, Kiwwi?" I looked down at my pocket. He shifted, popping his head out and shaking his ears. "I think there's a lot of lint in there." The miraculous grumbled. "You know what I mean." I leaned against a table to rest.

"Well..." He pulled himself out to stretch his wings. "I think there's some hope after all." Kiwwi sighed. "But I didn't find any hints to who could they could be." He plopped down on the table, using one of his claws to scratch behind his ear. "I think some lint got in my head."

"Kiwwi we have to be serious for once." I lowered my voice to a whisper. Suddenly he jolted up, gazing around the room. An ear flicked, and in a flash, he buried himself back in my pocket.

"Kiwwi wh-"

"Someone's coming!"

I looked back to the door as it creaked open slowly. Forcing a smile, a familiar face entered. He was holding a lunchbox to his chest, and returned a light smile. "You're the new girl."

He was silent until he reached a chair and opened his lunch. "You're... Kind of strange looking." He tilt his head seeming to be trying to figure something out. I pulled myself up quickly, prepared to head for the door before something was discovered when he spoke again. "It's.. Kind of cool."

Cool? I looked.. Cool?

I turned back, holding eye contact. I hoped to find some kind of lie or joke behind his eyes but he seemed so sincere. Well, no matter. I won't be like this much longer. "Who are you?"

The boy smile at my question. "Umm.. It's.. Just call me Nathan. My full name is a little long." He scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, it's lunch time. Don't you have anything to eat?"

I felt my stomach ache, reminding me I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday. The battle began before dinner. "I didn't plan to eat." Which wasn't a lie. I completely forgot I even needed food.

Nathan rummaged into his lunchbox, then pulled out a bag of blueberries and chopped strawberries. "Here. I'm not hungry enough to finish this anyway."

Was this a gift? Or was it pity? I wasn't sure but either way, I was hungry. I gave him a short nod before accepting the offer and taking a blueberry out. A little normality felt nice for once, seeing as I've been Nightstar for a few years. I took two out and slipped one to Kiwwi, hiding in my pocket. "Thanks." Was my small attempt at conversation. "You were drawing earlier. It was really nice." I tossed a few strawberries in my mouth at once. "Ypu hrf a twlt."

He smiled, trying not to laugh. "I didn't understand that. Say again?"

Oh right. I quickly swallowed to repeat. "You have a talent. Do you plan to draw in the future?"

 

Nathan shrugged slowly, starting to shy away. Should I have not asked that? "I-I dunno." He pulled a small pencil from his sweater pocket. I watched as he rest his chin in one hand and gazed over it. "There's a lot of things I could do but there's been a lot on my mind. You know what they say though." I recognized a familiar forced smile I've used for myself. "The pen is stronger than the sword. But I think that applies to words more. Most teachers don't appreciate art in their class. Unless it's an actual art class."

 

"So what's been on your mind then?" I crossed my legs and tilt my head curiously. He paused, trying to think it over for a moment, then let out a sigh. "More than I can explain right now. I guess i'm just.." He trailed off before he finished, then suddenly stood up. "I think I should go now. It was nice talking to you." Without another word, he gathered up his stuff and hurried out of the class. The door closed behind him and I was left alone again. I ate another strawberry and lowered the bag to Kiwwi who gathered up the last berries to eat for himself. Did I say something wrong?

I'm sure I would see him later then. After all, we're in the same class. I'm not sure what it was, but something about Nathan has caught my attention. Perhaps he was one of the hero duo I was looking for. Or maybe I was just curious. I couldn't say right now but I know i'd try to talk to him again later.

"I see you thinking." Kiwwi interrupted, shaking me awake from my thoughts. He waved the empty bag around like a flag.

"I am thinking." I sighed in reply. "Two weeks. And that's if i'm lucky. Who knows what could be happening on the other side of town? I d-dunno." I buried my face in my hands. "First day and i'm already stressed and tired."

"Aw don't worry (y/n)." Kiwwi giggled. "The day is already halfway over. You came late so you got a few hours off. You can rest when school is out."

"Where? I know I said I lived on the streets but I shouldn't actually have to sleep in an alley or something."

Rolling my eyes, the miraculous huffed. "Well you know, that's why you're the ridiculous. I didn't tell you to say that." He crossed his wings. "We still have some time to think though. So let's cross that bridge when it comes up. Anyway, the bell."

"What about th-"

I was cut off with the siren-like noise of the lunch bell. Students hurried inside once again and took their seats. I waited a moment, preparing my energy to get up the stairs again, when a girl approached. She smiled, and I recognized her as the girl who was late. "You're Marinette." I hopped off the desk. The girl nodded and made her way around so she could sit where I had been. "Yup. That's me! How's your first day been? Has anyone told you that you look like, really cool?" Her eyes sparkled joyfully. Cool? Me? Well, more like 'Us'.

"It's been alright I suppose. Thanks." I tried to avoid her gaze but her eyes pulled me back to the conversation. She was a peppy girl, wasn't she?

Marinette opened her mouth to speak again when the teacher suddenly spoke. "Alright, take your seats."


	5. Chapter 4: Who Am I?

As the first day came to an end, I already felt drained. The other students either got rides or walked home with friends, but I was stuck on the top of the stairs, tuning out all other sounds. All I focused on was my heart thumping in my chest. Each beat was slow and steady. For a moment, I forgot where I was, what I was doing, even my name. Something suddenly ripped me from my trance. A hand on my shoulder. "Raven?" I jumped, scaring the person beside me to let go. When I turned, I saw Marinette, confusion and worry mixed in her face. "Are you alright? I may not really know you but I can tell when something is upsetting someone." She laughed quietly. "I guess it's a gift."

When I didn't speak, the girl continued. "So what is it? You look sick."

I haven't been able to see myself yet, so I wouldn't know. But I was huge, tired, stressed, and grieving. I didn't expect to look like an angel anyway. Then I got an idea. "Y-Yea I'm just hungry and I don't really have a place to sleep now." Which wasn't a lie in the slightest but hopefully I'd look pitiful enough to be offered a bed. And I was right. Marinette frowned and gently gripped my arm. "Come with me. My family owns the bakery and I'm sure they'll let you stay with us."

I felt Kiwwi shiver and I was sure he was glad too. So I let myself be dragged down the sidewalk. She didn't seem to feel how heavy my body was. In fact, it was like I was light. But my chest tangled in exhaustion yet I forced myself to keep going. The bakery wasn't far but I had to take a quick breather when I got to the doors. People were going in and out the corner store, carrying pastries and desserts with them. "Rush hour?" I asked. Marinette smiled. "Yup. School is out. Now it's time for tasty treats!"

The next person to leave stopped and turned to her with a smile. "Hey Marinette." The boy held up a doughnut he had. "These are great. Maybe I should come more often." When he smiled, I was reminded of a puppy or springtime. Marinette's eyes were wide, and she nodded quickly. "Y-Yes right you're welcome anytime. I mean, it's a store so you can just walk right in whenever or you don't have too I mean-" She turned to me quickly. "Oh this this Raven we were gonna go do a thing so I'll talk to you later Adrian okay bye bye." In a full run on, awkward sentence, Marinette grabbed my arm again and hurried inside, leaving the boy behind to eat his doughnut.

She weaved passed the customers and behind the back counter where he parents were handing out desserts and taking money. "Hey Mom. Hey Dad." The girl nodded. In sync, her parents replied. "Welcome home Marinette." They took turns to lean over and kiss her head. "Is this a new friend?" Her mom asked, glancing over quickly. "Yeah. We should actually talk when you're on break it's kinda important."

This time, her dad replied. "Yeah sure. Give us a little bit and we'll be up there. Until then, you both can hang out upstairs."

With a nod, Marinette turned back to me. "Alright let's go upstairs. I'll get you something to eat there."

"Thanks." I placed a hand on my stomach. A few berries didn't fill me up much and most of them went to Kiwwi.

The bakery was the lower floor to an apartment building. Up the stairs led to the small but comfy living area.

"Welcome to notre maison." She laughed quietly. "Go ahead and sit down. I'll fetch us something!"

I gave a nod and followed her pointing to the large couch to the left. It was facing a simple TV sitting next to a few windows. The house was lit with sunlight and warm. I felt the family's joy just standing here. I sat down on the couch carefully, as to not crush Kiwwi in the process. It must have been difficult to end the whole day in my pocket but it was all I had right now. And I was still on the mission to find Ladybug and Noir. At least I had a place to stay for now. Marinette approached within a couple minutes, snapping me from my thoughts and handing out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I didn't hesitate to bite right in, carefully tearing off some crust at the end without her noticing. This would be for Kiwwi.

I didn't notice it was gone until I bit down into empty air. Was I that hungry?

Marinette laughed quietly, then stood up. "My parents should be done any time now. Do you want anything else?"

As much as I was tempted, I shouldn't eat everything in the house I could be staying at. And as if she summoned them, Marinette's parents appeared, closing the door behind them. "So what is it?" Her dad looked around as if that would give him a hint into what she was going to ask. "Well-" She started. "This is Raven." The girl gestured to me. I stood up quickly and waved, acting as nice as I could.

"Nice to meet you, Raven." Her mom grinned. Being around these people felt a little intimidating. What were they thinking about me?

"Yea, well, she doesn't have a home.. So I was thinking-" Before Marinette even finished speaking, her dad butt in. "And you want her to stay here?" He raised an eyebrow, glancing to both of us. I felt a drop of sweat run down my forehead as anxiety overtook my body. Please say yes!

"I don't see why not." As he smiled, I released a breath, not realizing I was even holding it before that moment. "T-Thank you!" I blurt out. Jeez, why was I asking so awkward? I'm a miraculous user! I've beaten many villains but I can't even seem to keep my composure around normal people like this. Maybe I was just tired. That had to be it. I'll feel better once I've had a good night's sleep. Marinette's mom spoke next, moving her head towards a ceiling hatch with a small white staircase leading to it. "You can sleep in Marinette's room. It's a little small, but i'm sure it'll be comfortable. Or is the couch alright?"

At the thought, I shrugged. "I don't mind either one. I'm just happy I have somewhere warm and safe to sleep now."

"I couldn't let you sleep on the couch." Marinette suddenly grabbed my arm and gave a tug. "You can use my room. I'll show you around. O-Oh and don't mind the posters." She gave a goofy smile and waved her parents away before guiding me up the stairs. I did my best to get up quickly, making sure I didn't start breathing hard. I wouldn't be able to answer questions about that. She pushed open the hatch and stood beside the opening so I could pull myself in then closed it behind me. Her room... Was beautiful. There was heavy pink everywhere I looked. And as she said, posters of a model above her computer. There was another staircase that looked like it led up to a small floor with her bed. I couldn't see it well though from where I stood. That was fine though. I probably wouldn't even be able to get up there let alone sleep there. Instead, it looked like a long relaxing chair could would as a good place to sleep. Behind it was a balcony covered in plants. It was better than any room I've ever had. She waited a moment for me to took around then started walking. "You can go through anything you want if you need clothes or something. Just don't touch my computer without me being here, and the top of my dresser drawer is private." She nodded with a smile. Seemed simple enough. Even a nice girl like her wouldn't want someone else rummaging through her panties. "Thank you." I muttered out, still taking in my surroundings.

The room fell into an awkward silence then Marinette cleared her throat. "Have you heard about him?" She approached the posters on her wall. "That's Adrien. He's on the latest cover of the most popular magazine. I own all the copies he's in." She giggled, holding her hands to her face shyly. Actually, I hadn't heard of him before this moment but he did look familiar... Of course! How could I forget so quickly? "Isn't that the boy that we saw outside the bakery as we were coming in?" I hesitantly approached, gazing across all the pictures carefully. "Eccentric." Was all I could say to the over dramatic pictures. He looked like he was posing for an action movie in some and a teen magazine in others. Who really was Adrien? He obviously wasn't a normal teenager from these posters. Though, that wasn't my mission. Despite being curious, I had to find Ladybug and Cat Noir. I was on a time limit so I couldn't afford to look into that stuff right now.

As the first day came to a close, Marinette pulled out blankets and laid them over the sofa. Everything was silent and I found no trouble falling asleep that night, entering a dreamless void and a comfortable rest.

It only felt like seconds before I felt a tug on my ear. I hazily opened my eyes, finding myself bathed in pink surroundings. My body felt rested again, and Kiwwi hopped off my head, tilting his curiously. "(Y/n), are you awake?" He whispered. I let out a heavy sigh and dragged myself to a sit. "Yeah. Was I asleep long?"

He curled up, tightening his wings around his body. There wasn't much sunlight so it must still be early. "Slept through the night. Unlike me." He grinned, showing his small fangs. "I was keeping watch and investigating."

"Did you find anything?" I had to lower my voice, in case Marinette heard. Kiwwi nodded quickly. "I checked some news stories on the computer. I know Marinette said not to touch it without permission..." He looked away. "But I found something serious."

"Well?"

The small bat cleared his throat and looked around, almost panicked. "What happened with July? It's all over the news. There's people looking everywhere for you. You need to limit your movements as much as possible, now that they know (y/n) has a kwami. No doubt Hawkmoth is on the prowl too." Kiwwi let out a heavy sigh. "It was amazing you weren't stopped on your way here."  
"Ah, I expected something like this." I fell back into my pillow. "What will I do after I return to normal? Can I even go home and return to a regular life?"  
When Kiwwi didn't respond, I rolled over on my stomach, giving him a light smile. The bat tilt his head, returning the smile with a toothy grin. Then I raised my hand in front of my face, inspecting it carefully. My fingers, my palm, every little detail, then my gaze lowered to my wristband. "Kiwwi." I started. He flicked an ear, almost as if knowing what I was going to say. "It's dangerous for you now. For now, I need you to stay resting. Don't worry though-" He kept silent. "I'll keep you safe until it's okay for you to come out." I felt a growing sense of guilt when I pulled off my wristband. Kiwwi lightly smiled as he was sucked back into the accessory. At least now, he'd be safe and hidden.   
I heard shuffling from above and watched Marinette's head peak up as she began to wake. The girl gave a large yawn and rubbed an eye. "Raven? You awake?" She squeaked, still half asleep. I shoved the wristband in my pocket and forced a laugh. "Yea. I guess i'm just an early riser."  
She rolled out of bed and looked ahead to the window. "Yup! It's early. Oh-" She hurried down the stairs then stopped beside the chair. "Come watch the sunrise. Then we can walk to school together." She returned one of her bright smiles. A real smile. I wish there was something I could smile about right now. I don't blame July but I wish it hadn't turned out like this. I crawled off the chair and followed her to the balcony. She opened the glass doors and led me out. It was a rather peaceful place, covered in plants. A single chair laid out for relaxing and it was high enough to see over a lot of streets. Marinette leaned over the balcony and looked up the sky, an orange glow painted over the blue. 

I followed her actions and watched the disk of light slowly shine over the city. I lost track of time before she suddenly tapped my shoulder. "Come on. It's almost time for school. Let's get dressed."


	6. Chapter 5: When Is It My Time?

"Here! Choose anything you'd like." Marinette flung open her closet. There was a variety of shirts, jackets, accessories, and an open dresser with different jeans and shorts. "While we're gone, my mom can clean your clothes. You'll get them back tomorrow."  
I nodded and grabbed a couple articles. It didn't matter much what I wore. I was only on a mission. I turned over to her for an 'okay' sign which she gave with a nod. That's when I noticed something. "Marinette... Those earrings. They're beautiful." My sight turned to a small pair of earrings she wore. They were simple and round, with a shining black cover. I hadn't seen those in a store before but they were a little cute. Marinette giggled quietly, holding her hands over them. "Y-Yea thanks. They were a gift." She quickly shook her head. "I'll go change in the bathroom. Take your time!" With a wave, she vanished under the trap door to the living room and I was left alone. Usually at this point, Kiwwi would have popped out and said something but he was locked away now. I pulled my cellphone and the wristband out of my pants and traded out the pair for the new ones. Then replaced the objects. It's all I owned right now. I flipped the shirts then looked myself down. I guess I didn't look bad but it didn't feel like me. Viperfang and my clothes didn't fuse, but it still didn't feel right. I was wearing those when she died... When she saved my life. There was even a couple small tears from when I was stabbed. But like Marinette said, i'd get them back soon once they were clean. And honestly, they didn't smell very good. I had been wearing them for two days after all. I folded my shirt and pants and set them on the ground beside the closet for her mom to pick up later then followed Marinette down. It was much easier going down than climbing up. Marinette was waiting for me by the door. She was changed and had her backpack slung over her shoulder. "You ready? We can grab something from the bakery to eat on our way there."

 

"How is it?" She took a bite of her pastry.  
"It's alright." I finished mine off and licked my fingers clean. Modest, but nice. It was actually really good! The girl took another bite then suddenly stopped. "Do you hear something?"   
I raised my head and listened closely. The concern in her voice wasn't like the Marinette I've come to know. It was more urgent. There was something wrong, wasn't there? I heard a vibrating noise, thinking it was just a loud phone, I began to panic, when I felt it. It wasn't vibrating. It was rumbling. "Raven, run!" Marinette suddenly pushed me. "Hey!" I looked back but she was gone. Where did she go so quickly? I looked around and spotted something in the distance. "Is that... A giant robot?" I had to take a step back. My heart strummed in my chest, heavy with fear. I've fought iron spiders and killer plague doctors, but never a giant robot. I couldn't do something like this, especially in my current state. My best choice was to run, just like Marinette told me. I broke out into a run and raced down the sidewalk, my destination right for the school. I heard a shattering crash as buildings crumbled to the ground behind me. Maybe I could catch Ladybug and Cat Noir on their way there! I looked to the skies but couldn't see anything. I was nearly out of breath quickly, and couldn't stop myself from collapsing. Everything flashed before my eyes, my chest screaming for air like I was drowning. I closed my eyes, not able to keep them open. What if I die while i'm asleep...?  
"Get up!"   
"You can't stay here!" A voice echoed in my ears. Was I dead? I struggled to open my eyes again. Silence was quickly over run with the deafening sounds of screams and more destruction. "Can you stand?"  
I turned my head up to someone standing above me. A real smile grew on my lips. "You're-"  
"Not important right now. You need to get out of here." He held his hand out. "Get to the school and stay with the others."  
I reached out and let him pull me to my feet.  
"Wait-" I pulled his arm before he started away. "You're Cat Noir. I need your help. There's-"  
"Not now!" He pulled back until I released. "There's kind of a giant robot attacking the city. You need to stay safe. If I can find you later, i'll come talk. Promise?" He smiled. I tried to take in all his features, in case I had to find him out of costume. Bright blonde hair, green eyes surrounded with his black mask, like his name suggests, he really was dressed like a cat. I finally nodded and he jumped away, leaving me to my own. With a sigh, I rushed towards the school again, this time, I forced myself to stay up, even though my body felt heavy. It wasn't easy but I managed to get there and run into my classroom. The students all turned in my direction, and I had to catch my breath before I spoke. "R-Robot. Destroying the t-town. This direction." I finally collapsed and fell to my knees. My lungs were screaming but not matter how much I tried to breathe, it felt like I was drowning. The students all stood and began to clamor among each other. The teacher raised her arms. "Everyone calm down. We'll evacuate the school."  
She walked around her desk and had each table stand and line up beside the door. I would have moved if I wasn't so tired. Running all the way here, AND up the stairs without stopping had exhausted me. "Wait!" A girl called out. I raised my head to a blonde girl. I think I remembered her name... "Chloe". She took part in the pop quiz when I first arrived. The girl looked around with a frown. "Adrian isn't here."  
"Didn't he say he had to go to the bathroom?" Another girl wondered.  
"Marinette is missing too!" Someone cried.   
"She hasn't shown up for class at all."  
"Where could they be?"  
"Quiet down." The teacher looked around the room. "Whose seen them last?"  
I raised my hand quickly. "S-She was with me on the way to school. When the robot attacked, she vanished and that's the l-last I-"  
"So she's out there alone?" One girl turned to me, a worried look on her face. I gave a reluctant nod and lowered my head. What could have happened to her? With the city being thrashed, she could be in huge danger.   
"And what about Adrian? We can't evacuate without him!" Chloe spat, stomping a foot. "I'll look for them when the rest of the class is safe." The teacher cleared her throat. "Let's move to town hall. The rest of the classes should evacuate too."  
At that, the entire building shook. The students had to quickly grab onto something to stay up. A few hands landed on me but I couldn't care a less. I was too busy thinking. Two students missing in the middle of an attack on the city. This didn't bode well. Someone shook my shoulder quickly and woke me from my thoughts. "Here. You're part of the class now. Come with us." To my surprise, Nathan smiled. I replied with a nod and struggled to my feet. While I was thinking, the rest of the class started to rush out the door. I followed the boy out and down the stairs. Each step made me more anxious. The shaking had caused them to come loose and it was swaying below me. I slowed down, watching each step. Nathan was a little ahead of me, also cautious. It could fall at any moment, especially with two people on it. I raised my foot for another step but the stairs shook too much. I couldn't risk it. I backed up and got off the stairs. Nathan looked back then down. "It looks like it's holding for now. But the monster could be here any minute. We gotta catch up. Just run down and try not to think about it." He attempted to reassure me but it didn't really work. He was already towards the bottom. If they fell now, he'd be okay but I wasn't sure about myself. Hesitantly, I tried again to follow, closing my eyes and walking down like everything was fine. They swayed below me and I wished I could safely transform. Gliding down would have been much better but there was too many things wrong with that option. I swallowed my fears and before I knew it, my feet hit the solid ground just as I heard a loud crack and the stairs fell behind me. I let out a heavy sigh of relief. I was just in time. I turned back slowly, seeing the destruction right behind me. "Come on. We need to catch up." Nathan pushed me forward then started to run.   
Right. I couldn't finish my mission if I was dead! I moved forward and ran beside him, looking back only once to see the head of the robot moving behind some buildings still intact. It was moving in the direction towards the school. Nathan was focused on running down the sidewalk. His backpack was around his shoulders, and seemed to weigh him down, making him almost as slow as me. It was like he was being slow though so I could keep up. Why did this boy decide to stay behind to help me anyway? He's had plenty of opportunities already to leave me behind but hasn't taken one.  
It wasn't a good time to ask at the moment but i'd be sure to remember later. "The town hall is right around here. We'll be safe." Suddenly my hand was gripped and Nathan went a little faster, making sure I wouldn't lag behind. All this running in such a short time, my whole body was sore and heavy. Arghh why did this have to happen!? I started feeling this way after me and Viperfang fused. Before that day, I could run and jump with ease. What made me so heavy anyway?  
Of course I had loved her, but this wasn't something I could ever want. Why did she save my life?   
The doors to the town hall were right before us. He swung them open and lowered himself to the ground, panting heavily. As much as I wanted to do that too, I didn't want to appear weak in front of the whole school, who were looking at the two of us, dumbfounded. I decided to lean against the wall and try to get my breath back instead.   
"Are you guys okay?" A girl approached. It was the same one that asked about Marinette in class. I turned my head away and gave a small nod, too winded to speak.  
"I'm Alya." The girl smiled lightly, tilting her head. She had dark skin with brown hair, and a pair of glasses loosely on her face. When she blinked, her purple eyes shone behind them. I forced a grin in return but I was too tired to speak. "What happened to you both?" She asked, looking down too Nathan. He had gotten up much quicker, hardly a sign that he was running at all. "Just a little late to c-catch up." The red headed boy waved the question off. "Is everyone here?"  
"Adrian is still out there somewhere!" Chloe cried out. "You said you would look for him!" She shot a glare at the teacher which in return, coughed awkwardly. "I tried on our way out. If he's still out there, he's the kind of boy who'll know what to do. I'm sure he'll be okay." The teacher tried to calm her worried class but it was obvious she was scared too. Alya frowned. "What about Marinette?"


	7. Chapter 6: Why Am I Here?

The students' chatter was too loud to even focus on my thoughts. It was too loud, both inside and out. Two students missing, the town hall full of people, and a robot destroying everything in it's path. The teacher handed me a water bottle and after nodding a thanks, I twist open the lid and downed a majority of the bottle. Nathan set his bottle in front of his legs and sighed.  
Was everything alright? He seemed to have gone quiet again and lost himself in his own world. When I first met him, he didn't speak much, and usually passed time with drawing beautiful artwork. And when we spoke at lunch, he was still shy. But what just happened, I saw another protective side of the boy and I couldn't be more grateful. I finally mustered up some courage and looked over. The other students pulled up some chairs for us so we could take a break, so I would have to thank them later too. "Um.." I started, getting Nathan's attention. "Thanks, for helping me out there. If it wasn't for you, I could have died." I smiled and held out a hand. The boy slowly took it and I gave a small hand shake. Great, now I feel a little better for putting someone through the trouble of helping me, maybe we became closer today.  
The room suddenly went quiet and everyone turned towards the windows. I tried to crane my neck and look over everyone but I couldn't see past all the heads. One girl cried out then there was a large crash that shook the whole building. It's not here, is it?! Nathan jumped up and looked in the direction it came from. He suddenly smiled. "It's Ladybug a-and Cat Noir. They took down the robot! It's safe."  
It is? And they're here? is my mission finally over? Cat Noir said he'd find me when the robot was gone. So this has to be it! I pushed myself to my feet and tried to make my way through the crowd. All these people in the way made it nearly impossible to reach the doors quickly. What if they leave? Will I have to start again? I can't afford to wait! People started to file out the doors, approaching who sat there now. The robot had changed into a young man. Was this person akuma-tized? He seemed confused on where he was. Long, dark brown hair covered up half his worried looking face. It was curly and ended right below his shoulders. His eyebrows were lowered and he looked rather sad. The problem struck me that the two heroes had vanished. Where'd they go? I looked around but I couldn't see any sign of them. The man struggled to his feet and looked over the crowd of teenagers surrounding him. "H-Hello?" His voice sounded tired, which was confirmed when I saw heavy bags under his eyes. A few students looked around to each other, probably confused themselves. I felt like I knew him, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Even the teacher was silent. "Please, somebody help me." He wrapped his arms around himself. Still, nobody moved. The man was dressed in robes, and a strange white object was tied around his waist. I couldn't identify it from my position though. "I've never seen him before." Nathan muttered, quiet enough for only me to hear. "He must be from out of town."  
I felt an annoyance growing in my chest. He needed help and nobody could even say anything. I pushed my way through the center of people and stood before him. The man was amazingly tall, with bright green eyes. He looked down to me when I came closer. "Please. I need help." He brought himself down to his knees so we could talk comfortably. "My name is Carrie. I'm looking for my sister." He pulled out a photograph of a girl around my age and handed it over. "Her name is Samantha. She went missing two days ago. The police don't even have any leads."  
I examined the picture. It was Carrie standing beside his sister. It looked like they were both tired, and both wearing fencing gear. Was this right after a game? Samantha had her arm around her brother's neck, and smiling into the camera. Her long brown hair matched her brother's. No doubt they were related. "I think... I may have seen her before." I bit my lip. "But not recently." Which wasn't a lie. Just like the brother, I felt like I knew the sister too. But I didn't recall us ever meeting. I slowly handed the photo back, and Carrie lowered his head. Tears dripped down his face, and his shoulders shook. "I-I need her back." He sniffed. "She's my little sister. I love her so much."  
I looked back to the bewildered students, watching the scene before them. Something about this bothered me but I felt sad along with Carrie. I didn't have any siblings, but I lost Viperfang, which I had known for only a couple years. But a sister, whom you're related too, I couldn't even imagine it. Why did you do it Viperfang? You're... You're so selfish! You let me live and feel this pain all by myself! How could you!? I couldn't stop tears breaking out myself, and let myself cry with him. In front of all these people, I felt embarrassed but that was the least of my worries. After I got out what I needed too, I looked behind him to the town. No longer in ruins, everything was fixed once again, thanks to Ladybug and Noir. I've never seen it myself, but I heard about it. When the villain was beaten, the town would return to normal once again. I was told it was a beautiful sight, with a blue light, covering the town. I guess it never reached where I lived, since the battles never affected my area. I must have missed it when I was stuck behind the entire school at the doors. I set a hand on Carrie's shoulders in an attempt to console the brother when on of the girls screamed out excitedly. Chloe to be exact, jumped up and down. "It's Adrian! I knew he'd come back for me!" She giggled and broke away from the crowd. I followed where she went, seeing the blond boy stepping into view. He was smiling lightly, and... Marinette was behind him. They must have found each other during all the commotion. I'm so glad she was okay. Chloe leapt towards the boy and gave him a huge hug. Marinette frowned and crossed her arms. I couldn't hear what they were saying but Chloe sneered, speaking something that angered Marinette. I wasn't interested really, so i'll talk to her later when we're alone. I had a lot to ask her after all this. Hopefully Cat Noir will keep his promise. I turned back to Carrie, and gave him a smile. "Don't worry. Samantha will be found safe."  
He wiped away his tears and nodded. "Right. She'll be okay. She's a tough girl." He returned my smile, and I finally got a good look at the device around his waist. "What is that? Is that a mask?" I pointed towards it. Carrie brought his eyes down and nodded. "Yes. Sam always wanted to be a crime fighter. So I pretended to be the villain for her. I thought if I wore it.. She'd find me again." He frowned. I wish I knew how to help. He must have loved his sister very much.  
The students slowly began to talk and the buzz of voices became louder. Our class's teacher, plus a few others I haven't seen before clapped and got everyone's attention. "Alright we're sending everyone home for the day to rest. I'm sure you must all be shaken."  
I backed away from Carrie as a a few teachers helped him back to his feet and led him away. But even as he began to get further away, I felt a connection between us. As I was lost in thought, someone called my name. Or, my fake name. "Raven?" He stepped up to my side. I blinked and turned to the red headed student. "Oh, hey." I smiled brightly. Nathan gave a small wave and spoke. "Today was... Kind of a mess. This happens a lot at our school." He sighed. "I.. Didn't think I would almost die today though." He laughed awkwardly. "But now everything is fixed. So, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out, maybe?"  
Hang out? I was on a mission. I needed to wait for Cat Noir to return so we could talk. I was so close. He was right in front of me but slipped away. That still left a sore spot. I was about to deny when Nathan spoke again. "I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience for you. I can see the look on your face. I was going to ask Marinette but.." He looked in the direction of the two girls arguing. Adrian had slipped away already, which was probably for the best. "She's a little occupied." A look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. He liked her, and Marinette obviously liked Adrian. That had to really sting. Ugh.. I shouldn't but I can't just leave him like that. "No it's fine. You can show me around town. I think I have a little money if you want ice cream or something." Which was a total lie. I hope he didn't actually accept that offer. Nathan's face lit up and he nodded. "Cool! Let's stop at my house first. I can drop off my school stuff quickly then we can walk around."  
So we split away from the group at town hall to walk away. Cars were already showing up to pick up students and slowly, it was getting smaller. Later, I would go back to Marinette's house. She might grow worried if I was gone for too long. I spaced out for a short while, absentmindedly following Nathan along the sidewalk. Suddenly I was nudged and woke up from my trance. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. Spacing out, even though i'm not tired. I couldn't help myself most of the time. I nudged back, a little harder than I should have, causing him to stumble. I felt a pang of worry and looked over to see him smiling. Nathan gathered himself and rubbed his arm. "You're strong." He smiled lightly.  
I gave a shrug, brushing off the remark, then looked to his backpack. "So what kind of stuff do you need to drop off anyway?"  
He shrugged shortly, falling silent, just like he did when we first spoke at lunch. "Just some art stuff." The conversation faded away into an awkward silence. Suddenly he sighed. "I've been afraid." The redhead admitted. Where did that come from? I didn't say anything. He looked to his feet, crossing his arms. "You asked what had been on my mind. That's it. I'm scared."  
I gently set a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile. "Thanks for confiding in me. I really appreciate it. But why are you scared?" I tilt my head curiously. The boy sighed, and it seemed like he hesitated before speaking. "About my life. I mean, i'm close to being an adult. And I still don't know what to do with my life, or even if I want to learn to drive. I don't think i'm ready."  
"Those are understandable emotions."  
He looked to me, waiting for me to say more. I mustered up some courage and continued. "I thought I had my life figured out." I started slowly. "I was the happiest i'd ever been. Then.. Someone close to me died. And I was forced to run away from my life. I didn't realize how much I cared about her until she was gone." I paused quickly, swallowing before I started to cry again. "I didn't have a choice to leave and before I knew it, I had to care for myself. I was scared too. Then I came upon the school and I don't think i'm scared about what happens anymore." I gave him a bright smile. "I've made friends already, and if it didn't happen, I wouldn't be here right now. I know whatever happens, i'll be okay. And you'll be okay too." Before I knew it, I was pouring out my feelings. At first, it was just to make him feel better, but now I started to believe them myself. That's right. I'll be okay!


	8. Chapter 7: What Happens Now?

"Don't you miss her?" He whispered quietly.

"Of course I do. But I can't let it hold me back now."

That, and she was a part of me now. Hopefully, not forever, but with how I am, I couldn't possibly forget. It's only been a couple days, and yet, I feel... Used to this. I shook my head and cleared my throat. "What did you think about the robot? It seems to happen a lot around here, but there was so much destruction. What if someone got hurt?"

Nathan tapped his chin then shrugged again. "Yea, I guess we're pretty used to it. But don't worry. Ladybug and Cat Noir always show up and protect us." He laughed lightly. "I don't sound too dependent, right? I could totally take care of myself."

"Not at all. I was there when you saved me, after all." I crossed my arms behind my back, relaxing into the chat. This was.. Actually kind of fun. "Speaking of which, do you know anything about them?"

He pondered for a moment then shook his head. "Not any more than the media gives out. Nobody knows who they are. But the best person to ask would be Alya. She runs the fan blog, after all."

Right. The blog that led me to the school in the first place. Alya was the creator of it. I should have asked when I had the chance. Well, we'll see each other tomorrow, at least. I could ask then. It feels like i'm not getting any closer to finding them. Even if I did happen to find out their real identities, it wouldn't be any use to me to know. I just needed to talk to them, in or out of costume. Though, it would be easier to find them if I knew who they were. My clock was ticking down.

Once July becomes corrupted again, nobody will be there to stop her. Then people could die. I couldn't let that happen! "Right. I was just curious." I gave a fake smile. He tapped my shoulder and nod his head, showing the building before us. "Here's my house. I'll be right back. One moment." Nathan tossed his backpack off his shoulder and grabbed hold of a strap before rushing inside the simple looking apartment. No doubt, in such a rich area, most people lived in apartments. Even where I lived, although his was much nicer. It didn't take long for him to toss him backpack inside and hurry out.

"Alright! I'm ready." In a swift movement, he swept his bangs out of his face and nodded. "Where should we go first?"

Weighing my choices, I made a decision. "I'm staying with Marinette at the bakery. So.. Let's go there last."

And hopefully nowhere that involved money. "Alright. I'll show you my favorite place first." Nathan took my hand and began to lead me passed his house. I wonder where it was. Also, where Cat Noir was. Was he backing out of his promise? He couldn't! I just needed to be patient, and maybe watch the skies. "So where are we going first anyway?" I tried to make conversation, avoiding any awkward talks. "You'll see. It won't take long." With the tone of voice he used, I couldn't help but be curious. I picked up speed so I wouldn't lag behind, despite feeling tired already. Suddenly he cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow. "Hey.."

I flinched. What did he notice? Did he discover who I was? I knew I shouldn't have-!

"Are you okay?"

A wave of relief washed away my fear. He didn't suspect anything. He was just curious. Unfortunately, I hadn't come up with a lie for that yet. I guess I didn't have everything thought out after all. My hand brushed over my pocket where Kiwwi's bracelet wait. I could really use his help right now. "What do you mean okay? If you're talking about what happened during the robot attack then I'm fine." I looked away from Nathan so we wouldn't make eye contact and i wouldn't be caught in a lie. "That's.. not what I mean. The moment I saw you on the first day." His voice was quiet, like he was reverting back to his shy self. "I noticed your exhaustion. I'm sure you weren't running, but you were tired already. Why are you always tired?"

That's.. what I was afraid of. Is there even a real answer for that without giving away my identity? Not answering would be too suspicious. Perhaps I should just give the least amount of information as possible. "Oh that." I awkwardly laughed. "It's nothing really. I just get tired easily." Which wasn't really a lie. He hummed and gave a small nod. "I see. I know that's not it. But you don't have to tell me." He smiled and walked ahead like what he said was nothing, though I started to silently panic. What did he know? "Here we are." He stopped by a large building. I looked up and read the sign up top. "This is.. A library?" I looked to him for answers. Nathan smiled and pushed his way through the doors. I followed in, still curious. Out of all places, I really hadn't been expecting a library. But I wasn't complaining. In fact, I love libraries. I let him lead me to a bookcase full of nonfiction history. But reading the titles, these weren't just plain historical stories. These were real books from the older times, fascinating tales. "Have you heard of Thunderstruck?" He pulled a book from the shelf and flipped through the pages. "I haven't read it but I keep intending too." I skimmed a page quickly and looked back to the shelf. "Hey, what's this one?" I tilt my head. "It's not even in the right area." Amongst the 'T's, sat a strange colored book. The spine looked tattered and the title was starting to tear off, but I could make out the words. "We are One."

I reached to pull it out but something held me back. A strange feeling telling me to stay away. Nathan looked in the direction and looked just as confused as I felt. "I've never seen that book here before, but it looks old. Maybe some kid shoved it in here?" He slipped the book out and turned it over. "There's no description on the back. Oh well." Holding the book to his chest, I followed him taking it to the counter. The librarian flipped the book over and checked it out but shook her head. "Sorry. It doesn't look like this book belongs to us. You can have it." She handed it over to me but I quickly shook my head. The strange story gave me an uneasy feeling that I didn't want to own. Nathan decided to take it instead and tucked it under his arm. "I guess there's nothing else to do here. Want to keep looking around?"

Feeling the presence of that book, I wanted to bolt right now. But.. that would be rude. "Sorry. I'm just starting to feel tired. Do you mind if I go home today?"

The redhead looked a little sad but seemed understanding when he spoke. "Of c-course. I'll walk you back!"

I flinched but didn't say anything more. A little while with the uneasy feeling would be no problem to spare his feelings. I could handle it. After all, I used to be a superhero. It's nothing I couldn't handle. So I gave him a thanks and let him lead me to the bakery.

 

 

It didn't take long to get there, thanks to a guide, but I felt something nagging in the back of my mind as we approached. "This is it." Nathan nodded. "U-Um, Marinette is here too, right?" He tilt his head in wonder. "Why do you ask?" I didn't mean to sound as rude as I had, but his question made me a little irritated. Why did he want to know? Wasn't my company okay? I quickly shook the thoughts away. Where did those come from? I had no reason to be upset. He seemed a little taken aback by my reply but didn't say anything. Trying to ease the tension, I smiled. "I was just curious. I'll go get her." With a small wave, I hurried inside, leaving him, behind, then made my way up the stairs. Her parents were watching TV in the living room. I would leave them be. She should be in her room, I suppose. Thinking about those steps, it made me feel threatened but I started up anyway. "Marinette?" I called out before I opened the door. I heard shuffling then her voice from the other side. "Come in!" I wonder what she was doing. It sounded like panicked movements before she answered. I pushed open the door and climbed up into the higher floor. "Raven!" She turned around in her computer chair. "Are you alright?" She raised an eyebrow. "You look like you were running."

"I was." I laughed quietly, pulling myself off the ground. "Hey-" I wanted to ask something that had been on my mind for a while now. "What happened back there? When the robot attacked. You just ran away." My smile curved into a frown. She didn't abandon me, right? She didn't seem like that kind of person to just abandon people, but I had to know. The girl looked down at her feet. "Sorry about that. Like, super sorry." She jumped up and I was suddenly being embraced. This kind of hug... It reminded me of Viperfang. The feeling of safety in her arms was one I had almost forgotten about. When she pulled back, my body felt cold. The girl gave a dorky smile and held her hands behind her back. "I went to look for someone."

"Was that someone Adrian?" I spoke without thinking. Her cheeks flamed and she looked surprised. I was right, i'm sure. She giggled quietly, waving a hand. "No way- I mean, why would I go looking for-" She stopped mid-sentence and groaned. "Yes, alright? We found each other later and went to the school but everyone was already gone. We were sure everyone had already evacuated to town hall."

 

 

I nodded slowly, getting lost in thought. Then I quickly remembered. "Oh right!" I set a hand on her shoulders. "There's someone waiting for you out front. I think he wants to talk to you."

"Well I hope he'd want to talk." She chuckled. "It's be pretty awkward if someone just stood there to stare at me."

When I didn't reply, she moved around me to go down the stairs. "Thanks." Was the last thing she said. When the door closed, I raced to the balcony and looked down. He was still waiting there, fidgeting with his hands then suddenly looked up as Marinette came out. I couldn't see her from my position but it looked like they were starting to talk. I felt a feeling growing inside me, and I knew what I was feeling. I dropped my head on the railing and groaned. This was not part of the plan. How was I going to carry out my mission when I start getting a crush?


	9. Chapter 8: What Should I Do?

He took a few steps back and nodded, then turned around to leave. Before he left, I plucked a rose petal from one of the potted plants and dropped it down. Hoping he'd see it, sadly though, it was too light and reached the ground after he had already began to walk away. I stood there a moment longer, then looked up at the sky. It was painted orange as the sun started to set and begin my third day. My heart pounded in my chest, more and more. Three days. Three...

I shook my head and clamped onto the railing. Please don't go yet sun! I need time. I just need time. Before I know it, my time will be up. Chills ran down my arms and I pushed against it. The railing shifted, making my heart jump. "Raven?" Marinette suddenly spoke behind me. I didn't even hear her come back in. I didn't have the energy to respond. Today has been too overwhelming. The robot, the book, him, I still haven't eaten yet. I took a heavy breath and forced a smile before turning around. "Hey." I released my grip.

She raised an eyebrow in response. "Are you okay? You don't look so good." The girl approached and set her hand on my forehead. The feeling wasn't enjoyable but I didn't fight back. "You don't feel warm. What's wrong?"

I shook my head, walking past her to go back into the room. "Nothing. I'm just hungry."

"I'll make some yogurt up then!" Before I could say anything, she hurried back downstairs. She sure is... A happy girl. It's been a little exhausting to keep up the act like I was normal but there was nothing I could do. I set my hand over my pocket, feeling the wristband press into my side. "Kiwwi.." I whispered his name. He's the only one I could really trust right now.

While I was waiting for Marinette, I approached my folded clothes. Picking up my shirt, I could see the puncture holes were sewed up. I'd have to thank her mom for that later. I pulled off Marinette's shirt and replaced it with my own, doing the same with my pants. While taking out my items, I had forgotten about my phone. It was cold, and wouldn't turn on. "Great. Dead." I sighed and set it on the dresser. I didn't have use for it right now anyway. Everything was finally starting to calm down now, and maybe my search could continue again. Just as I had finished, the door popped open and she crawled in, her hands filled with yogurt cups. "Yogurt is a go-gurt!" She giggled quietly and raised one up.

"That pun was terrible." I gave her a joking laugh and took it. "Thanks." It was purple, and looked smooth. I put a spoonful in my mouth, letting the flavor relax me. It was pretty good, but I couldn't seem to figure out the taste. Before I knew it, my cup was empty. I sat down on the sofa but the relaxing was short lived when Marinette plopped down beside me. "I've been wondering." She started, setting her cup aside. Oh no. What is she going to ask? Was she on to me?

"What is it?" I tilt my head.

"It's about your past. You don't have to tell me but i'd like to know a little about it." She crossed her legs and wait. Well, I saw this coming at some point. I didn't think it would be so soon though. I heaved out a sigh, then leaned back into the pillow. "There's not much to tell. I used to live on the other side of town until just a short time ago."

"And what brought you here?"

"The death of my closest friend." I closed my eyes. I still remembered her soft hair, her happy smile. She found me, and made me who I was. She was my everything. "She saved my life, and ended up losing hers in return."

I heard a small gasp from Marinette but she didn't interrupt. "I came here to put her spirit to rest but I guess it hasn't really been working out." I decided against telling her my real mission to find the Kwami users for now. She didn't need to know. "Is there something I can do?" She muttered gently. I couldn't help a small laugh. "I wish. Only I can do this." I felt exhaustion tugging at my eyelids and before I could stop it, everything went black.

 

 

I felt numb as I felt myself awaken. I clenched my hand slowly, feeling the sleep still leaving my body. I must have passed out while talking to Marinette. I didn't know I was that tired. I laid there for a few more minutes, still letting myself wake up. I wasn't in a hurry to stand. Today was Wednesday, and in three more days, the weekend would bring freedom to look. I was starting to give up on Cat Noir's promise now. I'd just have to find him again, but I hope there wasn't another attack today. I finally sat up and rubbed an eye. The sun was still rising, meaning I was up early. The feeling of loneliness was a tad overwhelming. I missed speaking with Kiwwi so much, even though he was a bit of a dork. Despite everything telling me against it, I pulled my wristband out of my pocket and slipped it on. It sparkled, then flashed. A black swirl twisted around my arm, climbing up to my shoulder. It didn't hurt though. I couldn't feel it at all in fact. Then it vanished and I could feel the small bat sitting atop my shoulder. I turned my head to give him a smile. Kiwwi hopped down, landing on the sofa. "(y/n)? What are you doing?" He flicked an ear. I could feel the hostile tone in his voice. "I-I missed you." Was all I could explain. The bat flicked Ibbi's tail and shook his head. "You said it yourself. It's too dangerous. Take it off." He hissed. "I can't just leave you in my pocket!" I raised my voice.

"Raven?" Marinette suddenly spoke. I could see her head poke up from her bed. The bat frowned, narrowing his eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing." He buried myself in my pocket and curled up into a ball. "Yes?" I replied to the girl when he was settled.

She yawned, then spoke in a tired voice. "Who are you talking too?"

"Just myself. I was having a dream." I swung my legs around the sofa and stood up. I was growing tired of all this lying. I wish I could just tell her, but I can't trust that. "I'm going to get some breakfast before school. Is that okay?"

I had almost forgotten about the repair the school had yesterday. After the akuma was caught, everything returned to normal, which also meant the school was whole again and classes would resume. I wonder where the teachers took Carrie. I hope he's doing alright. It wasn't his fault any of this happened. Whatever happened to his sister, Samantha, it wasn't his fault and I hope he knew that. Marinette replied in a groan and fell silent again as she slipped into sleep. I opened the hatch and made my way downstairs. It didn't look like her parents were awake either. I'd grab something small. I turned towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was full stocked but nothing looked interesting. There was a lot of baking ingredients though. Spare in case they run out downstairs? I shut the fridge and tried the cupboards instead. That's where I found the snacks. Spotting a bag of cookies, I took a couple out and put the bag back. I wasn't very hungry but I learned to eat when I have the chance. Who knows what could happen? I finished one and lowered the other to Kiwwi who took it without a word. Was he still mad at me? "You know you love me, right?" I gave him a smile. In return, he huffed, taking a bite of the cookie. A clock on the wall showed the time being an hour before school. What should I do to pass the time? Well, there was TV. I guess that would work. I grabbed the remote off the table and plopped down into the sofa.

Nothing was really of interest so I just put on the news. The weather was currently being reported. "See that Kiwwi? Sunny days all week."

"Friday is cloudy." He muttered.

"Well clouds don't count."

The story changed to news of a festival next month. The mayor was apparently still preparing the event. Boring stuff. I let out a sigh, ready to turn it off when a strange story caught my attention. The reporter was standing in front of a simple looking house. She paused to look into the camera, then began speaking. "Thanks Daren." She nodded into the camera, speaking to the man who was talking before her. "In the latest news, a masked figure has been spotted prowling around this very neighborhood." She backed up and the camera got more of the scene. "Just today, he's been reported looking through windows and trying to break into cars. If anyone has seen this man, please contact local authorities." A picture came up on screen, and I almost choked. Kiwwi hissed, lowering his ears. "That can't be!"

"It is." I flipped off the TV. "But how? I haven't seen him in years."

Kiwwi rolled out of my pocket and got a good balance, then tapped his chin with one of his wings. "There's no way it's not him! Even the mask is the same." He bared his teeth angrily. Of course, we didn't think he was even around any more. It's been so long since we first met, since we first fought. It almost feels unreal. I shook my head to clear those thoughts away. "It's not him. It's probably just a copycat. I mean, why would he just pop up NOW?" I looked down to the bat.

"Now of all times, it's not a coincidence." He muttered. "Something strange is going on. He comes up just as Viperfang dies and this Samantha goes missing? It feels all connected. Do you think it's someone we know?"

Possibly. It does feel strange. What was going on around here? We need to find Carrie too and see what he knows about his sister. Maybe I can make a connection. But now I have to be on high alert for him. "So what do we do?" Kiwwi wondered. What else can we do? "We just need to keep doing what we're doing, and make sure he doesn't find us." I gave a thumbs up. "It's Doctor Death after all.


	10. Chapter 9: Who Can We Trust?

"Remember, keep watch." My eyes dart around the street, keeping lookout for anything out of the ordinary.  
"How about keeping watch right in front of you?" The small Kwami whispered in my ear. Obeying, I quickly came to a halt seeing how I was about to charge right into the street. "Raven wait up!" Marinette called after, a while behind me. I've been a little on edge since the story, even forgetting about how tired I was, I was speed walking anyway. "We're not late yet." She chuckled, catching up. I let out a sigh and nodded. "You're right. I guess i'm just inpatient."   
She flashed a smile in my direction and hit the walk button on the street light. It was only a couple moments until it turned red and we could cross. Most of the walk was in silence but suddenly the girl froze. Her eyes went wide. I looked in her direction, spotting a large limo pulling up. "Adrian is here!" She giddied and raced off, leaving me behind. Well it was no problem. We were right in the front of the school, so I could get to class alone.   
I walked past the pair on the lawn and made my way inside the school. A lot of the students were outside, hanging out with their friends or playing some board game before class. Hopefully Alya would be in the classroom. I still needed to talk to her. As I started towards the stairs, I suddenly heard someone call out a name. "Raven!" A girl called out. That's my name. That's my fake name at least. Someone was calling me? I turned back as a girl hurried towards me at a rapid speed. I tensed up, ready to run seeing that we wasn't slowing down. The girl was wearing skates? I prepared for a collision, shutting my eyes, but it never came. After a moment, I opened an eyes and looked ahead. She was smiling, only inches from hitting into me. "Hi." The girl beamed. I sighed, giving a nod. "Good... Brakes." Was all I could say after that small moment of terror. "Thanks. I'm Alix!" She held out a hand. I took it slowly and she shook. "So.. What's up?" I looked around. Nobody else seemed interested in our conversation. She shrugged. "Nothin' really. I just wanted to say hi. You're in my class, so I was being nice." I pulled our hands apart and cleared my throat. Was this girl Ladybug? She couldn't be. She was certainly as happy as her, but I've never seen Ladybug use skates, and Alix seemed to be an expert. I'd have to investigate later. "Well, hi. I was just going to the classroom so-"  
"Classroom? But school hasn't started yet."  
"Nope." I turned back to the stairs. "I was looking for Alya. I haven't seen her anywhere else so-"  
"She's not here." I was interrupted again. Wait, not here? "What do you mean not here?"  
"I mean not here. She got uber sick yesterday so she's out." Alix shrugged. "She'll probably be back tomorrow."  
Great. Another thing gone wrong. I'm never going to get back to July before the time limit at this rate. A slight irritation bubbled inside me for a moment but it vanished quickly. "Thanks. I'll head up there anyway. better to be early than late." I forced another fake smile. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously and I thought she may have seen through me. Luckily, Alix just grinned. "Alright. Timing is pretty important. We can't all go back to make sure we're not late." Without explaining what that meant, she skate away into the crowd of students. That's probably not something i'm going to understand any time soon so i'll pretend she didn't say anything. I have too much to think about already. I made my way up the stairs and opened the door to the classroom. A few students were here but sadly I didn't see the other person I was hoping for. Maybe he'd be here later. Class hasn't started after all, so he doesn't really need to be here. I sucked in a deep breath before heading to my desk in the very back. When I got there, I plopped down and rest my chin in my hand. What amazing luck I had. Nothing is going my way. "Incoming." Kiwwi suddenly whispered. I looked around just as someone set their hands on my desk. She giggled, a far off look in her large eyes. "It's so nice." The girl seemed to be swooning over something. "Can I help you?" I moved my chair back from her. Who was this girl? "I have to know!" She jumped up excitedly. This girl was even more hyper than Alix. Was all girls here like that? And know what exactly? What information did I have for her? Did... Did she know something? Was I found out? I raised an eyebrow, confused, and leaned back in my chair. The girl made her way around the table and sat in the seat beside mine. Her eyes lit up excitedly. "Tell me I have to know." She put her hands together like she was praying. "Yesterday! Didn't you go on a date?"  
"A-A what?" I nearly slipped out of my chair. "That wasn't a date." Taking a breath, I shook my head. The girl frowned slightly. "It wasn't?"  
"This is where I play Smooth Criminal on high." Kiwwi snickered from beneath my hair. "Didn't take you for the romantic type." I tilt my head, knocking the bat over then looked back to her. "No. We were just walking around for a little bit."   
The girl sighed, almost looking sad, though quickly replaced it with a smile. "Oh well. I still think it's cute. We all watched you walk away."  
Her hyper attitude was starting to become too overwhelming this early in the morning. I was tempted to just walk out of the classroom, but I didn't want to be rude. As well as the accusations of being on a date... Well, it wasn't, right? Although if it was, maybe I wouldn't mind. I shook the thoughts away. I can't get distracted now. From the corner of my eye, I saw someone stand up and start to make their way over. Great, let's just have a party. I looked up to a girl with long black hair, some purple dye mixed into her bangs. She had a soft smile, and one of her eyes were covered. This girl seemed a lot less excited than the others I've met. It would be much easier to talk to her, i'm sure. But I don't think she would be Ladybug. Either of them, really. Ladybug didn't come off as being THIS happy all the time. But I don't know. Any of these students could be Ladybug and Cat Noir. I just needed to dig deeper into the students.  
I'll just assume meeting everyone would help with the mission.  
"Hey." Her voice came out soft and soothing. "You're the new girl. Raven, right? We... Didn't get to meet before today." Her smile grew wider and she offered her hand. Well, I was pretending to be a normal student, so making friends would be part of that. I shook her hand then pulled my chair back into the table. "I'm Juleka. And this is my friend, Rose." She gestured to the other girl beside me. Rose waved shortly then set her hands into her lap. I couldn't hold back a sigh, then waved back. "I guess you know me, then?"  
"Totally!" Rose hopped up. "The whole school is talking about how you survived the attack! And how he stayed behind to help you. It's so romantic." She giggled and started to swoon again.  
"Still, not like that." I rest my chin in my hand. "I was left behind in evacuation. He saved me because he's nice. There's nothing going on."

"Enough about that, if that's okay." Juleka hopped up onto the desk and sat down, legs crossed. Rose fell back down into the chair and looked up to her friend without a reply. Before Juleka could say what she had wanted too, I spot someone enter the room. All three of us turned and spotted the confused redheaded boy looking around. "Oh over here!" Rose called, waving happily. Nathan blinked, then quickly turned and vanished out the door again. I wouldn't blame him, but he'd have to come back for class soon. "Wait!" The girl called out, jumping out of the chair and knocking it back. "We have to talk about everything!"   
"Run while you can." Kiwwi whispered. "I get the feeling you're enjoying my suffering." I muttered in reply.  
"Well I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having a little fun watching you crash and burn."  
"Thanks, really." I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see that. The two girls decided to leave my desk for other entertainment, finally leaving me in peace. Since I got here, I haven't been able to be alone in my own thoughts.

 

So now, what should we do about Doctor Death? He's never been one to just show up for a tea party. If he was back, he's got something planned. A long time ago, with my first battle against him, Doctor Death was never akuma-tized. Everything he's done has been his own will. After that fight, I never saw him again. We've only fought once, then he vanished. Why come back now? Did the word get out that I was gone?   
"Alright class sit down!" I didn't even notice the teacher had walked in. Just after she said that, the bell chimed and students filed in. "Great timing." The bat sounded a little impressed. As everyone took their seats, the teacher pulled out a book. "Since we missed a day of work yesterday, we're going to have to catch up. Pop quiz." 

Many of the students let out a groan. I set my head in my hands, feeling myself start to get tired. So today is going to be like any other school day, right? I had no need to listen to this. Among the students, Nathan had returned with the crowd too. Watching from the corner of my eye, he discreetly opened his bag and pulled out a green, familiar notebook. He wasn't going to pay attention either, huh? Nathan must have noticed I was watching him because he lightly smiled. He flipped the book to an unfinished drawing, going into his own world.   
"Question one!" The teacher announced before fixing her glasses. "We'll start off easy."  
She swiped a piece of chalk and began to draw as she spoke. "Bees must collect nectar from approximately how many flowers to make 1 pound of honeycomb?" When she was done speaking, a simple bee was drawn on the board. A few hands raised, and the teacher pointed to one of the students. "Nino. Speak."   
The said boy stood up from his seat. "Sixteen million, right?" He scratched his head. The teacher sighed in response. "Close. The correct answer is twenty million. Good try though."  
Nino shrugged and fell back into his seat. This was just like the first day I had arrived.


	11. Chapter 10: Can I Do It?

The pop quiz felt like eternity before the teacher decided it was enough. I hadn't been called on once but I felt overwhelmed anyway. "Everyone take a ten minute break before lunch." Her voice raised. Almost instantly, students shuffled around the room to meet with their friends and the noise of chatter heightened. "Hey." I turned to Nathan, who was still drawing. The picture was different, so he must have finished the other one. The boy looked up when I spoke his name. "Did you read the book?"

That strange book... I couldn't even go near it, but maybe he had checked it out at some point yesterday. I didn't have that feeling now, so the book must be at his house. Nathan nodded, shutting his notebook, but not before placing his pencil between the pages. I felt curiosity rising in my gut as a wait for him to say something. His eyes glanced around the room, then he beckoned me to come a little closer with his hand. What was in that book that was so secretive?

I swallowed a possible blush away and scoot my chair towards him. "What is it? Is it a magic spell book or something?"

He shook his head. "No. It was empty."

"Empty?" That's not possible! "What do you mean empty? What was it doing in the library then?" As anger reached my voice, the boy lowered his eyes. "Well, not entirely. There was one word on the first page." His voice was a little softer. I felt bad for getting mad at him for a moment. It wasn't his fault.

I fell silent to let him finish.

"It just said 'open'." Nathan put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a phone. "Here. You didn't really like being near that book, right? So I took a picture." He opened his phone and held it out. I didn't say anything, but somehow he knew how I was feeling about it. What I saw on the screen was a photo of inside the book. The pages were a light yellow, giving the book an aged look. Like he said, there was a single word in black ink. "Open."

When I muttered that out, something flashed in my mind. Smiles. Laughter. Faces all around me. But the smiles were a lie and these people were crying for help. I couldn't make out who they were though. Everything was jumbled together, and I got less than a second to focus on what I had just imagined. I tried to close my eyes and bring the image back, but nothing worked. I tightened my eyes and thought as must as I could. I didn't know what that was, and I had to find out! While I was concentrating, a tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality. Nathan tilt his head curiously. "What is it?" He moved to lower his phone away but I swiped it quickly to inspect the picture again. "Wait." Something wasn't right here. I just knew it. "Open? That's not all." I zoomed in on the picture, and sure enough, my gut was right. "These pages aren't empty. Look." I handed it back over, and I saw his eyes widen. "They're covered in words. Why didn't I see this before?"

"Maybe saying Open was the keyword. I can't make out what it says though." I felt that I was onto something, but if I can't even read it, there was no point in this. This book was just a minor side quest anyway. My real mission still hasn't been complete. I would have to come back to this later. "Wait can I see?" Someone suddenly spoke. I looked up to a familiar boy. "Adrian?" I asked his name. Yes, i'm sure that's who it was. We haven't really spoken much, but Marinette seemed to like him a lot, so it would be shameful if I forgot his name. The blond boy smiled with a small nod. "Sorry. I overheard your conversation and I have pretty good eyes. Maybe I can read it a little?"

Nathan turned to me, almost like he was asking my permission. But why? He could do what he wanted. Whether he chose to show him or not, I didn't care. I gave him a shrug, and Nathan decided to hand over his phone. I watched as Adrian inspect the picture, eyes squinted. "Yea, the words are light, so it's kinda hard to see. But I think I can see some." He then looked to Nathan. "Can I borrow a pencil and paper?" The redhead flinched, then quickly ripped a sheet from his notebook to give up. I handed him my pencil instead, so Nathan wouldn't lose his page. Adrian looked at the picture again, then began to scribble some words down, occasionally looking at the picture again. His green eyes were almost dilated like a cat's as he focused. Something felt familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it. While I trying to remember, he suddenly flipped the paper around and handed Nathan's phone back. "Thanks. This is what I could make out. I couldn't see all of it on a picture, but maybe if I saw the book, I could finish the gaps."

Then the bell rang, and Adrian hurried to meet up with Nino, standing by the door for him. The pair exit the room for lunch with the rest of the class, and I was left alone with Nathan and the paper. Break time was pretty short, but at least it was lunch now. "What does it say?" He leaned over with curiosity. I pushed the paper between us so he could see too, then he read out loud.

 

"You're my friend, right?.... "Of course. Friends forever. I won't let anything happen to you." Those words... I know those words. I've SAID those words. A wave of sadness washed over me. Why are those written there? I don't understand. Nathan stopped reading and turned in my direction. "Is everything okay?"

I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to say "Yes. I'm okay. Keep going." But I couldn't make those words out. Because what was written in that book.... That was a conversation me and Viperfang had a long time ago. Why is that written here? Who could know about that? I gave up trying to speak, and pulled myself up from the chair. I needed some time alone. I pulled my wristband off, locking Kiwwi back inside. I didn't need to listen to him either. Without a word, I began to go down the stairs. Nathan called out but I didn't listen. I heard him stand and come towards me. No... leave me alone! Before he could come close, I broke into a run, getting out the doors and down the stairs. The courtyard was filled with students but to me, there was nobody. I needed to get out of here. Too many people... I can't do this anymore. If someone knew about that conversation, they must have placed that book where I would find it. Where I would be able to read the past. It could be anyone. Anyone! Wait... No... That's not right. Nathan led me to the library. Why do that unless...?

Was he spying on me all that time ago? Does he really know who I am? Maybe he's not a regular student at all. We had that talk before we met July. So only Doctor Death was our enemy. And we never figured out who that was. Plus, if he's showing up right when i'm starting to grow close to Nathan, that has to be it. He has to be! It's all a lie!

I almost stopped in the courtyard to take a break until I heard my false name again. "Raven! Wait!"

"Stay away!" I didn't even look back before I ran out of the school. I didn't know where I was running, but I couldn't stop. I was sure it was him! I knew I shouldn't have trusted anyone. Unlike every other time, my body felt light, like I could fly. I sped up, gripping my palms as tight as I could. My nails dug into my skin, but it didn't hurt. I felt so light... What is this? I kept my face ahead to watch the streets while I slipped my wristband on. "Kiwwi, take flight!" I didn't care if anyone saw anymore!

A flash of black blinded me for a moment. I felt the costume tighten around my body, and my cape flying behind me. I forgot how nice this felt. A street came closer, cars raced back and forth. I couldn't stop now. This will be my test to see if I really don't feel heavy anymore. When I reached the street, I leapt as high as I could, then twist around. Getting a grip on my claws, I latched onto the building that had been across the street. So this is real. The weight that had been pulling me down, it was gone. It was really gone. For whatever reason, I felt lighter than ever before. I hoist myself up to the roof then finally stopped to catch my breath. I'm sure I lost him now. How could he lie to me? I trusted him!

I even started to grow feelings for him. Why did this happen? I tried to hold back the feeling I knew was coming, but to no avail. Small drops dripped down my face, falling onto my hands. I clenched my palms until my skin felt on the edge of breaking. I didn't know how long I was holding my breath until my lungs started to scream for air. But once I exhaled, more tears flowed down my face.

"You've made a mistake." A husky voice suddenly whispered. It felt like it sounded right behind my ear, breath down my neck. The feeling sent shivers up my arm. It... Can't be. But I thought-

How is he here? I don't understand! I couldn't move when I heard that voice. It felt like even my heart stopped for a second. "You're running away, aren't you? Are you sick?" I felt hands grip my arms softly, long nails scraped against my shirt. From the corner of my eye, I spot black gloves hands, and a sharp scalpel in his fingers. "Don't lie to me." I forced out. "You're here because I found you out, aren't you? You couldn't follow me up here in normal school clothes."

Doctor Death snickered. I caught a glimpse of his plague doctor mask shaking when he laughed. "Ah Nightstar you couldn't be more wrong!" He sounded so sure of himself. "I'm here because of you, yes. Don't get me wrong though, corporate, and I have no need to hurt you." His hands fell off of me, and he circled around to stand in front of me. Yes... He was exactly how I remember him. A long black trench-coat, white mask, only his green eyes were visible. Wild brown strands of hair covered his head and fell over his mask. And around his belt... A toolkit. One of the blades was missing from the set, and that had to be the one in his hand. "What is it then?" I wiped my eyes from tears and struggled to stand up.


	12. Chapter 11: Is There Hope?

"What I want is simple enough." The masked man brushed some of his hair off of his mask. He was quiet for a long time, and I waited for him to speak. What was I supposed to do? I was wrong? He didn't want to fight? What is it that he truly wanted? Doctor Death suddenly sighed, lowering his head. "You were with her when she died, weren't you?" He rasped out, almost sounding sad. How did he know that? Why... Did he care? "What's it to you? Why are you upset anyway? She was my friend! Not yours!" I took a step closer but his gaze didn't falter. He didn't move, like he was a statue. The light breeze drifted through his hair, giving him the only way to actually appear alive at that moment. "Sœur." He suddenly muttered. "I want her back." His grip tightened, the scalpel in his gloved hands started to bend. "You were there. I want my little sister back!" I didn't have time to react before I was thrown to the ground and I felt his weight push me down. "I want her back." The end of his mask was only centimeters from my face. I felt his cloak fall around me, and the cold metal of his blade against my throat. "She died to save you. And now she's with you, isn't she? Give her back!" His once gentle voice was filled with anger. I raised my arm and gripped onto his arm tightly, hoping he would be rational about wanting to kill me. But.. What was that he said? Sister? Viperfang... Doctor Death.. No that couldn't be.

 

"My name is Carrie. I'm looking for my sister." He pulled out a photograph of a girl around my age and handed it over. "Her name is Samantha. She went missing two days ago. The police don't even have any leads."

I examined the picture. It was Carrie standing beside his sister. It looked like they were both tired, and both wearing fencing gear. Was this right after a game? Samantha had her arm around her brother's neck, and smiling into the camera. Her long brown hair matched her brother's. No doubt they were related. "I think... I may have seen her before." I bit my lip. "But not recently." Which wasn't a lie. Just like the brother, I felt like I knew the sister too. But I didn't recall us ever meeting.

 

"I understand now." I muttered out. Doctor Death- No. Carrie- Was still. "Samantha. That was her name. That was Viperfang's real name." I relaxed my body and lowered my hand. "You can't kill me. Because you'd kill her soul inside me too."

Carrie sat up, tossing his scalpel away. He let out a pained grunt and climbed away. I took the chance to sit up and didn't say anything, just watching him. His knees were pulled up to his chest as he looked over the roof. "She was my everything." He whispered loud enough for me to hear. I knew those words all too well. This information brought only more questions than answers. If I were to understand at all, I would have to confront this criminal. I let myself crawl to his side slowly. He didn't seem to try to stop me or move away. Just like when we first battled all that time ago, Carrie was intelligent and somewhat kind, making it hard to believe he's a bad guy. It looks like that hasn't changed at all. "Can you tell me what happened?" I was tempted to try to comfort him but decided against trying to touch him when he was feeling this emotional. Carrie raised an arm behind his head, and suddenly un-clipped his mask, letting it fall into his lap and revealing his face. His eyes were red from crying, and he looked tired. "This was all for her." He raised up the mask, seeming to inspect it closely. "I never wanted to be the bad guy. But she wanted to be the hero." He smiled to himself. "So I became her enemy."

I didn't know what to say at that moment. Was this the truth? Was everything he's done just an act? That has to be a lie! What about everything he's done to me? He almost killed me that night we met. "I don't understand. I have so many questions."

Carrie set his mask to his side. "Fine. I'll answer yours and then you answer mine." A small smirk curled over his lips. "A temporary truce, you could call it." Some of his wavy brown hair fell over his face but he didn't seem bothered. "So?"

What should I ask first? There's so many things I needed to know. "I guess I should start with... Your history. I don't get this at all." You have to know the past to understand the present, after all. I remember reading that quote from a book once. Carl Sagan said that, I think. So before I ask anything else, I need to know their past. Carrie nodded slowly, then looked down at his lap. "You want to know about me and Samantha, right?"

Samantha. That was her real name. The girl that stood with me through all our battles. I never even asked her real name before. That's one of my... Many regrets. "Yeah. And more about why you became this masked villain. You're not a bad guy at all, are you?" I tilt my head curiously. The man chuckled quietly, but didn't answer that one. "She always wanted to be an inventor and save the world with technology." He started. If he loves his sister that much... That would explain why he became that robot once akuma-tized. What would Samantha think if she was still alive? "Every day, she became stronger, and I was her sidekick to battle the lawn mower. One day she told me... She needed a real person to fight. So I bought this mask." He looked down at the mask beside him. "I would be her bad guy, if she wanted me too. But even when we practiced in the lawn, her in the snake outfit, me as the doctor, she still wasn't happy. Because I wasn't a real bad guy." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath, then began speaking again. "So I did what I had too. I robbed banks and houses, vandalized, for her, I even hurt people." He choked up but acted as though nothing happened. "She was finally happy, even though I was suffering. And that was fine with me. You... You're (y/n), aren't you?" His voice grew quiet.

"You were that girl I met that night..." Carrie suddenly fell onto his back and looked up at the sky. "I didn't mean to hurt you. It was just an accident. It was so dark, I couldn't see what I was doing. You scared me. I meant to just scrape a bystander, but I ended up hurting you much more." His arm slowly lowered to his belt and he pulled off a strange piece of a broken pipe. It was rusted, and covered in dried blood. What is that? It was truly an item to give someone shivers. "This is what I hit you with. When I felt this collide with your body, I was afraid. I didn't know what happened to you. You just... Saw me there and tried to stop me. I panicked. But I recognized you the moment you returned, dressed as a bat... I knew she didn't need me anymore when Arachnophobia appeared. You both had a mission now, so I vanished. Do you understand now?" The worry left his voice and it returned to the mysterious tone he usually had.

Once he finished his explanation, I felt something in my chest growing. Compassion? Regret? Sympathy? I wasn't so sure anymore. But from what happened, I know now that I made a mistake. I ran from Nathan because I thought he was the villain. But I was wrong.. I needed to apologize. But if he wasn't the one that heard our conversation, who did? It couldn't have really been Carrie, right? If he was the one who put the book in the library, there was a high chance I wouldn't have found it. It would have been too risky for any.. Normal person to do. But I understand the past a little better now. Samantha was always wanting to be stronger and fight better enemies, so I could believe that part. There was more I needed to know though. "Why were you on the news? What were you doing?"

 

That was the question that made him flinch. He inhaled slowly, then let it out and closed his eyes. "I was looking for my sister. Or any sign of her. That's how I knew she was dead. I saw the news story. Someone had taken a video of that night. The moment she gave up her life for you. So I've been waiting for you to turn into your hero mode, and here you are."

He was waiting for me? Like I've been waiting for Ladybug and Cat Noir? He came here so fast when I changed. He must have been nearby already. That means he saw me change, right? "This.." The man muttered, gently touching the brown marks on my hair. The ones that was originally Samantha's. It was still in a braid and out of the way, the long hair just felt so natural now. I had almost forgot about it. "This used to be hers. Side effects of the fusion." He smiled, a lost look in his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you. You've been cooperative so far, but now it's my turn to ask. I've said all I need too." He pulled himself back up to a sit. "Except for this." Carrie dug his hands into his pockets, searching for something. His eyes lit up just then, and he pulled a box out. "I went through a lot of trouble to get this. But I think you should have it. I can't tell you anything though, that, you're going to have to find out on your own." I carefully took the box and looked it down. A strange red mark covered the black paint. I moved to open it but he grabbed my hand quickly. "Wait. Not yet. I need you to tell me."

Despite my urge to open the box, I set it aside. After all, this is a moment of truce between us. "Right. I have to answer your questions now. What is it?"

The man brushed his hair out of his face. "Did she suffer?"

Suffer... "No. She was smiling when she died." I forced one of my own. Carrie nodded slowly, like he was thinking it over, then asked his next question.

"Is it really possible? What you're doing, that is. You want to separate from my sister. That will release her soul, won't it?"

I wasn't sure exactly. If I manage to find the healer, only they would know what would happen. All I could do was shrug. I didn't know, and I wouldn't lie anymore. Not about Samantha. Compared to what he's done for her, it seemed like I was insignificant now. But I couldn't think like that, right? She was important to me too. Plus if she heard me say something like that, she would be mad at me.


	13. Chapter 12: How Can I Do This?

When Carrie saw I couldn't reply, he lowered his head. I watched him carefully, he picked up his mask, and placed it over his face again, hiding everything but his eyes once more. "I've been calm with you so far, because you cried for my sister with me. I believe what you say about her." He pushed himself to his feet to look down on me. "So please forgive what i'm about to do. Our truce is over." A threatening growl in his voice told me he was hostile again. I wouldn't let him attack me! I tried to stand but the weight had returned, and I stumbled to my knees. if fighting wouldn't work... I heaved a breath, trying to get my energy back. What was this weight? "Please don't do this. I have people to get back too."  
He would understand, wouldn't he? I had to go back. I had people waiting for me. Marinette, first of all. And... Maybe Nathan, if he forgave me. I still had a duty to do, and people to protect. I gripped onto the box he gave me and lowered my head. "Yes." I heard him mutter. "I had people too, a long time ago. My parents abandoned us. She was all I had left. And you let her die. You were there. You were stabbed. And you were supposed to fall. She gave her life for you." 

 

Was he going to kill me now? Was this it? My mission will go unfinished and i'd die at the hands of my best friend's brother? I closed my eyes and wait, but the pain never came. I was about to open my mouth and ask but I didn't have the chance. He placed his hand on my head softly. I could feel he was caring, so then why was he doing this? I couldn't move. Sitting on my knees was growing tiring, and I crumbled to the ground. Was he doing this? No.. That wasn't possible. He was just a normal person, no powers or akuma-tized at all. So what was this? The weight was gone for a little bit, but now it's come back stronger than before. "And since she saved your life, i'll save you too." I felt an unimaginable pain in my head and everything went black.  
"Sleep a little longer. It's not time for you to get up yet."  
No. I must stand. I have to fix this.  
"Shh~ Close your eyes and sleep."  
I can't! I can't... I need to get back to them. I need to return to my friends. I need to wake up.  
"They can wait. What matters now is sleep."  
No. NO. Wake up! Stand up. Open your eyes. I can't sleep. A light was shining above me. Was I dead? I raised an arm and reached for the blinding light. My hand outstretched, and I tried to grab at it. Nothing was in my fingers though, and with exhaustion around me, I almost fell asleep again. Then I remembered.... I have to get back to them. I blinked, and the light came into focus. A lamp above my head, swinging quietly. It was so bright. I turned my head, more light. The walls were white, the tables were white. The lack of color was everywhere. I started to feel depressed, seeing no color at all. But that wasn't my biggest problem. Where was I? I struggled to sit up, feeling a softness below me. A bed? I looked down. A white sheet covered my body, and loose robes replaced my clothes. Wait... My clothes? Where was my clothes? My wrist was absent of my wristband. Kiwwi! I almost yelled for him, until something flashed beside me on the table. That was it... Just sitting there. A small piece a paper was beneath it. I slipped it back on then raised the paper.   
"I had to take this off before sending you to the hospital. I'm sorry." Doctor Death, Carrie, who was he to me anymore? I couldn't tell if he was an enemy or an ally. But that wasn't important now. This note... I must be in a hospital of course. I felt a tightness around my head, and when I went to touch it, I felt bandages wrapped around me. Slightly moist. I must have been bleeding.  
"You're awake." A tired voice muttered behind my head. I released a sigh of relief. "Kiwwi. I'm so glad you're okay. Were you here the whole time?"  
"Of course. After all, I only vanish when you willingly take the wristband off. I've been sleeping for so long." He yawned widely and hopped off my shoulder. The bat rubbed one of his eyes with his wing then froze up. "I-I feel.." He started then shook his head. "It's nothing."  
"What's wrong?" I moved to rub his cheek like I was petting a normal animal. He wasn't a normal animal though, but it still helped calm my nerves. I felt the scales under his short fur, like armor plates. I'm sorry Kiwwi... I'll fix you soon. He hasn't said anything, but i'm sure he's been suffering too. The bat blinked, then shook his head again. "I just h-hear something." He stuttered. I didn't hear anything, but a bat's hearing must be much better than my own. I lowered my hand and leaned back into the headboard. "I need to go back. You were awake, right? Can you tell me what happened?"  
I looked to him expectantly, only for Kiwwi to frown. "My sight when I become your suit is limited. I remember you got hit pretty hard. And then it was all black until he took off your bracelet."  
"Well?" I raised an eyebrow. "What happened AFTER that?"  
His ears perked up. "Oh right! Well, he set you in front of the hospital doors. I tried to stop the bleeding but a nurse came before I had the chance. Doctor Death was gone by then. I had no choice but to stay hidden this whole time. It was hard, you know!" He glared, narrowing his eyes. "What could I have done about that?" I heaved a sigh. "I was literally knocked out."  
"You could have woken up at some point between five days. It's Monday!" He hissed. "Less than a week left and you haven't found anything! Stop messing around. This affects both of us!"  
My heart stopped. Five... Days? No that can't... Can't be true. How could I have lost so much time? "Why didn't you wake me!" I threw my blanket off and rolled out of the bed. "T-There's so much we have to do now. I can't sit around here."  
Kiwwi flapped his wings irritably in response. "I tried. You were out of it. The nurses tried too but it's like you were..." He lowered his eyes. "It's like you had died. But there's another problem too." He sighed. "I can't say exactly what, but you NEED to find them by the end of this week, or there's going to be a lot more trouble than just July on the loose.   
"What do you-"  
I heard the door click open before I could speak. Kiwwi buried behind my neck and out of sight just as someone walked in. A short girl with colorful hair and a headband gave a smile. "Raven. You're awake. I'm glad."   
Who was she? She looked barely older than me, and yet she was acting like a nurse. I think I recognized her though. "Aren't you in my class?" I had to ask. The girl nodded. "Yes. I didn't even think you saw me. I'm Mylène." The girl approached and held out her hand. "I've been volunteering at the hospital to entertain the patients after you got hurt. I was so scared for you." Her eyes lit up. "Oh right!" Pulling back before I even shook her hand, she turned towards the door. "There's a lot of people worried about you. I have to tell them you're awake."   
"Wait!" I tried to call. I needed to tell her that I had to leave, but she was already gone. I didn't have time to wait around here for her to come back either. I would just have to leave on my own. I looked around the room slowly, inspecting everything carefully. My clothes had to be around here somewhere, right? And anyway, who even changed me out of them in the first place? I felt somewhat violated but that wasn't important right now.

A closet on the far wall must have them, right? The closet was ajar slightly but not enough to see inside. I made my way over and pulled it open completely only to find disappointment. A collapsed wheelchair sat against the wall, and only a second hospital gown was hanging up on a wooden hanger. "Useless!" I couldn't contain my anger. "Am I just bad luck?" I questioned Kiwwi. He didn't reply, leaving me to my own thoughts. "Well.." I heaved a sigh. "Guess I have no choice but to wait."  
Then I suddenly remembered something. "What about that box? Where is it? The one Carrie gave me."  
Hopefully Kiwwi would know, since he was aware when I was knocked out. The bat curled up on my shoulder. "Don't worry about that. The nurse put it with your stuff. I'm sure it's still safe." He sounded as if he was relaxed. What was there to be relaxed about? This wasn't the time to be careless!  
That's just great. I needed to see what was inside. I was tempted to leave the room myself and take it back, but I didn't even get the chance. Mylène peeked her head through then opened the door completely. "I'm back." She stated. I could see that. From the cluster of people around her, it seems like I had company too. Nino pushed passed her with a wide grin. "Raven! Good to see you're up!" He looked to the others then back to me. What was this? Is there something I was supposed to do? I still felt pretty groggy, and my stomach was growling with hunger. I felt... Weak. I couldn't let my classmates see that I was struggling though.  
"I need... M-My clothes." I began to space off but quickly pulled myself back. Another face met with mine. It was... "Hey how're you feeling?" Alya set her hand on my forehead. "You're pretty warm. You sure you should be up yet?"

 

I turned away from her tough and huffed. Why.. Do they care? I've only been in class for three days before ending up in the hospital, if the second day even counted at all. They barely knew me. They didn't know who I was, and why I was really there. So... I don't understand. I wasn't supposed to make friends.

"Oh yea, Alix wanted me to give this to you." The girl held out a small chocolate cookie. "She had a race today, but she told me to tell you that 'you've got time on your side', whatever that means." Alya set the cookie in my hand. I didn't hesitate to bite into it and fill my stomach. Alix.. I would have to thank her later. But I could thank Alya right now at least. I gave her an appreciative nod, then looked back to the others who had come. Of course, I saw Marinette among them. It wasn't the whole class, but a lot of people were here. Although... I didn't see the one I wanted to see among them. Was he mad at me? I wouldn't blame him, after I ran away like that. I was an emotional mess and I took it out on someone who was trying to help me. I felt so guilty just then, looking at everyone who came to make sure I was okay. Rose and Juleka were here, along with people whom i've never even spoken with. There was two other people I didn't see too. One was Chloe, and the other was Adrian. I didn't expect Chloe, but Adrian didn't seem like the kind of person to miss out going with his class... Is he alright? I decided against asking at the moment, and instead gave everyone a smile. "Thank you.. All of you." I swallowed. "I-I just..." No, I can't start crying! Despite trying to hold myself back, tears ran down my face in a matter of moments. "I didn't know so many of you cared about me at all a-and..."

 

"Of course! You're our classmate!" One of the guys held a thumbs up. I don't know how to thank them... But I couldn't stay here anymore. "Guys, I have to go now. I have to catch up on work." I gave a false smile with my lie. Alya pouted shortly then nodded in reply. "Sure. I'll get the nurse." She turned back to the other students and gave a gesture that said, "Time to leave."


	14. Chapter 13: What Now?

The students all slowly exit the hospital room and there was silence once again. Honestly, i'm a little surprised Marinette didn't say anything. Wasn't she worried? No... That's selfish thinking. I got one taste of being loved, and now i'm starting to get greedy. When she was here, I thought I saw a far off look in her eyes, like she was thinking hard about something. it was too late to ask about it now, so I should just stick to my regular plan. Get out of here, and soon. "So what's the plan?" Kiwwi popped his head into view. The plan? "You already know. Get out of here. We have less than a week to not only find Ladybug and Noir, but also find the healer. I have no leads for them, but maybe the other kwami users know something. That's my only chance."

"And if they don't?"

"I'll have to fight July this way. I won't have a choice."

"And that's impossible, seeing what happened with Doctor Death." The bat let out a heavy sigh. I wonder what he was thinking. Probably no other ideas, or he would have said so already. "I don't have any problem supporting you while you wear the suit, but the moment combat starts, I can't seem to breath. It's all my fault, isn't it? I'm not strong enough." Kiwwi shook his head, and lowered his eyes. "That's ridiculous." I tried to argue, but I didn't get another word in before he inhaled sharply. "I want you to take the wristband off again." He flapped his wings quickly but it was obvious that the scales along them were pulling them down. What was he really feeling? It wasn't a spirit that fused with him. It was a full, living, kwami. A miraculous just like him. "Alright. You'd tell me if anything was bothering you, right?" I tried to be gentle, hoping he'd reveal his problems on his own but my heart sank when he just smiled. "Course!" I knew that fake smile all too well. One I used on my own. I wished he would tell me, but I can't force him to speak. I held my hand to my chest before slipping the band off. Kiwwi was sucked back inside and vanished.

I always felt alone without him. Even when the world around me was quiet, with him with me, I never felt alone. It was one of the worst feelings to have him gone. But it was his wish, after all. Perhaps inside that wristband, he could rest, and didn't feel so much pressure. Before all this, he was a dorky know-it-all. But now... He just sounded depressed. I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before. I've been so distracted with myself, I couldn't see my friend right in front of me who need help. But I couldn't just pull him back now to talk. That stress... That explains why he got so mad at me the first time I let him back out.

I didn't even think about what he was feeling. But we're partners after all, so we're going to have to work together. While I was collecting my thoughts, a nurse push the door open. In her hands was my clothes, cleaned and all together. "Good morning." She sounded almost monotone. With a voice like that, her patients must feel upset. The nurse set the pile on the bed then turned to look at me. "I heard you're well enough to leave. You just have some papers to sign and you can go. Get dressed first." She turned and exit the room, almost slamming the door behind her. Normally, Kiwwi would say something like, "Wow, who broke up with her?"

I wiggled out of the hospital gown and strung it over the bed frame. The nurse would get that I believe. I quickly slipped on my clothes, and set the band inside one of the pockets. "My phone is still dead, right?" I pat my pockets for it. When I didn't feel it, I felt a slight panic but it was replaced with a sigh of relief when I remembered I set it down on Marinette's dresser. It was dead anyway, but it just felt right to keep it on me anyway. I'd go back and get it later, but right now, I had to see someone. I made my way out of the hospital room to be met with the same gloomy and colorless hallway. It wasn't as active as expected, but it did have its fair share of doctors and patients going back and forth. I didn't want to stay here any longer than I needed too. I just needed to fill out some papers, right? A cubicle in the center of the room looked like where i needed to go. The woman working there handed a clipboard to a man in line then her eyes locked onto me and she waved me closer. Yeah, that must be it. When I followed her call, the woman offered the same clipboard. "Just fill in everything applicable and we'll have you out of here quick." She smiled brightly. I took a pen from the cup beside her and looked down. Most of it was pretty boring and simple. I flipped the paper to scan the second page expecting to find the same stuff but something did catch my eye. Could this be a clue? "Ma'am?" The woman cleared her throat. What was it? I looked up, and she gazed behind me. "You're holding up the line. Please have a seat in the lounge."

I looked back to see some impatient looking people had already begun to line up. That was... Fast

How long was I looking at this for people to line up behind me? I didn't want to think about it right now. I scanned around the room the find the lounge, eventually catching sight of a row of chairs against the East wall. I made my way over and sat down in the first empty chair I saw. Other people around me were filling out the exact same papers. I sighed and lifted the pen. "Alright what do we have?"

The first couple questions were simple ones. Age, name, birthday, gender, stuff like that. But the things in the second page was what really made me carefully read through. "Cause of admittance: Blunt trauma to the head, possible attempted murder from a large object."

Attempted murder. That couldn't be right. Carrie was so nice that night we spoke. Something in him changed at the very end of our conversation that caused him to attack. I wasn't angry anymore, or felt anything really. It was more of a numbness. I.... I was just tired. Mentally tired. I haven't had a break at all, and now this. I couldn't even manage to fit him on my list of problems. Something kept nagging me in the back of my mind. What exactly was going on? So many strange things at the same time, they had to fit together somehow, right? Doctor Death suddenly needing to appear and attack me, the strange book, the fusion, Kiwwi's strange behavior, the second reason I had to find them, why Cat Noir never found me, Viperfang being Carrie's sister, this strange weight against me, it all felt connected, and it feels like someone was trying to tell me something with all this, but I couldn't seem to piece it together. Plus... Why did the weight vanish just before Doctor Death found me, but hit twofold when he attacked? It couldn't just be my imagination. I'm sure of it! Even Kiwwi mentioned his heavy feeling before we fought.

I shook my head and tried to get rid of my thoughts. I didn't have time to ponder. I scribbled down some answers, making sure nothing linked back to my real self, and dragged myself back to the counter. The line was growing long by now, and people were going too slow for me. The old man up front apparently couldn't read his paperwork and needed the woman to read every single question, with the man proceeding to tell a life story after each one. I looked around in hopes of finding someone who could take care of the paperwork for me but nobody seemed to be able too. Finally after the man started telling a story about his name's meaning, I broke from the line and set the clipboard on the woman's desk and turned. I wasn't waiting for this. I had things to do. She called after but I wasn't in a good mood to listen. The hospital doors looked before me, and I didn't hesitate a moment to throw them open and find myself in the sunlight again. Five days... I was in that place for five days. But now I was free again. Since I couldn't use Kiwwi, I needed to find Nathan on my own. I still owed him an apology. It had been so long since I had battled Doctor Death, I had forgotten what he had looked like. But even then, I KNEW he didn't have red hair like Nathan's, but I ran anyway. Plus... Carrie was twenty two. I was a fool to even think they were the same person. All this stress was just piling up on me. It wasn't Nathan's fault at all!

 

When I checked the street signs, it looked like I wasn't that far from Marinette's Bakery. Maybe it's time.. I told her everything. I couldn't keep this up by myself any longer. I'd have to walk though, so hopefully that wouldn't be a problem.

I took a deep breath and released slowly. This walk felt... Familiar. But this time, I couldn't cheat with my suit. That's fine, I suppose. I need time to think anyway so... Procrastinating is fine, right? I would just walk as slow as possible. Maybe when I get there, she'll already be asleep so I could go to bed and forget in the morning- No. I can't do that! I couldn't just pretend this doesn't exist. Running away is not who I am. I chose to pick up my pace into a jog. This part of town was fairly familiar, but it was still hard to know my way around.

 

"Wait."

A girl. I heard a girl. Who was that? Her voice was smooth and almost dangerous. I looked around but I was alone. It sounded so close. "Where are you?"

I'm not hearing voices now, am I?

"It matters not. But i've been with you through your whole journey."

Her voice.... Like a snake. "Do I know you?"

I came to a stop and kept looking around, despite knowing I wouldn't find anything still. "Indeed you do. You've seen me every day. You look at me with such a sour look. Dare I say you don't know who I am?"

 

What could she mean? Everyday... Snake... It can't be. "Ibbi?


	15. Chapter 14: Am I Alone?

"Ibbi?"

I lowered my eyes to my pocket, and slowly dipped my hand in, feeling the wristband inside. "You're in there, aren't you?"

This time there was no reply, but I didn't need to be told to know. I pulled out the accessory and felt my fingers across the black item, now colored in green spots. Ibbi.... I had forgotten all about her. She's been alive this whole time. A thin yellow stripe was seen inside the band. Was she awake now? A traumatizing event like what happened to her, it would make sense for her to be out for a long time. But why was she waking up now? Another coincidence? No way. One would be okay, but piled one after the other, it couldn't be. "What is it? Why are you here? Haven't you been asleep?"

"No." Was all that she spoke for a long time. The wristband glowed dimly when she raised her voice. It was beautiful, but that wasn't something I could get distracted about. "I've been powerless. But now that Kiwwi has grown weak, I can finally speak to you."

Ibbi sounded so mother-like, just like Samantha had been. I felt a tight pain in my chest. This... It's sadness. I can't start crying now. I can't! I heard her chuckle quietly. "Don't start to tear up now. This isn't the time. You have a mission, yes?"

"What will happen to you... If I succeed?" I didn't hesitate to ask. It wouldn't... Kill her, right? After a long pause, I heard her sigh. "Don't worry about me. I'll be quite alright. But you... You're in a dilemma, aren't you?" I hope she wasn't like Kiwwi, who had a habit of hiding the truth, now more than ever. I've never met Ibbi, so I couldn't tell if she was hiding something. But I would have to trust her right now. "Yes. Where do I go?" I looked up to the streets. "Marinette's? Or Nathan's?" School was out, if all the students were able to see me in the hospital. If he wasn't there, he must have gone home. Marinette looked so sad though, should I console her, or apologize to Nathan? I know... I wouldn't make it to both before nightfall. I don't have that kind of stamina to run around town right now. Especially after being asleep and not eating for five days. A cookie was enough to keep going for now, but i'd need more soon. So whoever I choose, i'll be stuck with for the night and I can't afford to delay my mission any longer, so i'll have to skip school too.

"What do you think?" I asked, after weighing my choices.

"What does your heart say?" She whispered, barely audible. I had to close my eyes and think. I'll only be able to speak to one for a while. If I go to Marinette, i'll probably not see Nathan until the end of the week.... When i'm out of time. Marinette also has my phone, and she's been kind to me.

Nathan, I've trusted with my feelings and he trusted me with his, he saved my life and seemed to understand me, without me having to say anything. If I see him, I won't be able to help Marinette or retrieve my phone. He also holds the book that I couldn't be around.

Everything was telling me to go to Marinette. She needed my help, she needed to know the truth, I had to get my phone and thank her for her kindness. But that's not what came out of my mouth. "Nathan." I spoke, without a single thought. When I said it though, it felt right.

"You've made your choice then. Go now." It sounded as if she was starting to get tired. She can't leave me yet! I opened my mouth to speak but she took the moment. "Kiwwi is weak and tired. I am as well. But we will both be here if you need us. But.. We can only do one final transformation, so save us for when you need us the most."

The wristband fell quiet again as Ibbi vanished. When I need them the most... How will I know when that is? I put the band back into my pocket and continued on. I knew where his house was, so it shouldn't be too hard. I just had to find the library, and i'd know the way from there.

The streets were active, but I still felt alone. With the sun warming my skin, I still felt cold. What was this feeling? I've never felt this way before. I wanted to get there quicker than ever, if only to speak to someone I know. A stranger was coming up towards me, and I instantly tensed. I was ready to attack if they even touched me, but they continued on right past.

Paranoia. It's starting now. Argh... I can't take this anymore! My knees started to wobble before me. I won't be able to make it, will I? Fear, Stress, Sadness, Anger, all these feelings bubbling inside me. "Raven?" A girl's voice muttered behind me. Who is that? I tilt my head only slightly to see her confused face. She pushed her glasses up her nose and pout slightly. "What are you doing out here? You're not supposed to be out of the hospital yet." She sighed heavily and rolled her shoulders. "Or that's at least what I heard. Guess it was wrong."

"What are you doing Sabrina! You're supposed to wait for me. I'm in charge!" Someone suddenly yelled out. I heard footsteps behind me, quickly recognizing it. Another fake smile I suppose. "Chloe." I nodded a greeting. The girl inspect me carefully, then turned her nose away. "I still don't know why you wanted to visit HER." She scoffed, un-amused.

"W-Well the whole class made a card. I wanted to deliver it." Sabrina handed it out quickly. "Here. I signed it too." I looked down at the gesture. A pink slip of paper, covered in all names. Even the teacher wrote on it. I took it slowly and read each name, slowly feeling a little better. "Alya, Rose, Alix, Ivan, Aurore, Mylène, Juleka, Nino, Kim, Max, Chloe, Marinette, Sabrina, Miss Caline, Mireille...." I paused to read the last name. "Nathaniel." His full name? Why use his full name, when he told me to call him Nathan? At the bottom of the paper in large letters, it wrote "Get well soon!"

I looked up to the two girls. "Thank you. Just seeing this makes me feel better." I folded the paper in half and slipped it inside my opposite pocket. Suddenly Chloe shook her head. "Do you always go around looking like you just died? I can't even look at you." She shoved a hand into her purse. "I hate doing this but you look so bad, it wouldn't even be fun laughing at you." A comb was suddenly shoved in my face. "Brush your hair. And keep the comb. I don't want something back with your gross hair all over it."

I looked at it curiously but accepted the gift. I guess I wouldn't look good, after that night. Beaten by Doctor Death, carried to the hospital and put on the ground, and sleeping for five days. Who would look nice after that? I still don't understand why he did that, but I was growing tired of thinking about it. I needed to clear my head fast. The two girls turned to leave, but I had to call out quickly.

"Do you know where the library is?"

They both turned, but only Sabrina replied. "Yeah. It's not that far. Just keep going straight a couple of blocks. There's a sign. Can't miss it." She smiled brightly and turned to follow Chloe away. The teacher must have sent them the deliver the letter, but why them? No! No more questions. No more thinking. I couldn't keep over-thinking like this. It feels like it's all I do. I just need to... Do. I have to act. I can't keep asking questions when I know I won't get an answer.

I wasn't even given the chance to wave goodbye or thank her for the comb. But when I started walking and brushing through my hair, I actually started to feel clean again. I was in dire need for a bath. Doing my best to follow the instructions, I found Sabrina was right. On the corner only a little ways away from the hospital, a large sign was in view, impossible to miss. I crossed the street and stepped up to the library. It was Monday, and libraries aren't open on Mondays. The doors were locked, and the windows were dark. But I could still see the shelves of books inside. The nonfiction. Filled with information, history, learning, and in the other window, fiction. Stories of magic, imagination, wonder, people who took their knowledge and spun their own tale. Both sides were special, it was hard to pick. I shook my random thoughts away. I knew the way to his house from here, and I didn't have time to waste. I took a breath, making sure I wouldn't get winded on the way there, despite knowing that wouldn't do much, and kept walking. I remember the walk here, smiling to myself.

 

"I thought I had my life figured out. I was the happiest i'd ever been. Then.. Someone close to me died. And I was forced to run away from my life. I didn't realize how much I cared about her until she was gone.I didn't have a choice to leave and before I knew it, I had to care for myself. I was scared too. Then I came upon the school and I don't think i'm scared about what happens anymore. I've made friends already, and if it didn't happen, I wouldn't be here right now. I know whatever happens, i'll be okay. And you'll be okay too."

 

I remember. I wasn't scared anymore. I'm not scared. I can't be scared, even if I tried. I've already gone through the worst of it, right? How much worse could it get? There's no way i'll fail!

I saw his house coming close and picked up the pace a little. A car was in the driveway, and I heard noises from inside. There was obviously people home. I just had to... Muster up the courage and knock. I broke from the sidewalk and started to close in on the door. Just raise your hand and knock. This is the least scary thing I've done in a long time. No problem. I felt my hands get sweaty, and nervousness ride up my gut. What was this? I can do it. I clenched my palm and set it against the door. Now... Just knock. I sucked in a deep breath and pulled my hand back. I'm going to knock. As my hand came close to the door, it suddenly flung open and I was standing right across from Nathan.


	16. Part 2: "Clarity", Chapter 15: I Am Human

"Raven?" He tilt his head, setting down a bag that was in his hands. "What are you doing here? I thought-"

"That I was still in the hospital?" I sighed. He shook his head slowly. "That you were mad at me. I'm sorry." He looked down, avoiding my eyes. I quickly shook my head. "No I should be saying sorry. You didn't deserve that. I was overthinking and jumped to a stupid conclusion. Before I could say sorry though, I ended up in the hospital. So i'm saying sorry now." I held out my hand. "Do you forgive me?"

Nathan seemed to be hesitating, but he gripped my hand and shook it slowly. "Right. It must be something you can't tell me. I forgive you."

The way he said it, I knew he wanted to know, but could I really trust him enough to say? "I'll tell you. Whether I fail or succeed, nothing will be the same again. But..." I looked down at the bag he was holding. "Is that the trash?"

"Oh yeah. Chores." Nathan hoisted up the bag again and walked passed me. Now that I've chosen who to go too, I can't go back, so I hope Marinette will be okay. He tossed the trash in the bin and turned to walk back to the house. "Alright. Come on in." He waved a hand for me to follow and went deeper into his house. I closed the door behind me. When I tried to look around, Nathan tugged my arm quickly and kept walking. There was a flight of stairs but these ones weren't very steep or long. No problem. I followed him up, where a bunch of doors awaited. Bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, they all looked the same. A pure white door, all of them closed but one. That was the one he was leading me too. I could see a messy dresser on the way in, and a window facing the door. Red curtains blocked out most of the light. When I entered, I could see it was actually pretty clean. Only Nathan's dresser was messy, covered in unfinished artwork. His bed was made, a large abstract blanket, and a lot of pillows. The closet was closed, concealing any possible mess that might be inside. A lot of people close their closets when they just toss their room inside to hide it all, and I was guilty of it sometimes too. But I was more interested in explaining everything at that moment. He sat on his bed and crossed his legs patiently, like a little kid waiting for story time in kindergarten. I momentarily closed my eyes to gather myself and sat beside him. "Alright. I guess i'll just start from the beginning."

 

I told my story exactly how I remember everything. The day Viperfang found me near death, how I got my powers, everyone we fought and how we protected the new kwami users, I slowed down a little as I told him of the day she died, but he didn't seem bothered. In fact, every new thing I explained seemed to light curiosity in his eyes. I explained why I needed to go on this mission, and why I came to that school, and when I spoke of the conversation in the book, everything started to make sense.

 

"So this... Doctor Death, WAS he the guy that wrote it?" He raised an eyebrow. I gave a shrug. "I never got a chance to ask. But I wonder, he hit me with the same weapon we met with. A whole belt of better stuff, and he still kept the pipe I was hit with."

"Maybe it was a memory. You said he seemed to care about you and her a lot, so it'd make sense."

Yes, that wasn't a bad idea, but I quickly shook my head. "I'm done with questions. Questions all the time. Rhetorical, reoccurring, more and more questions piling up. I don't even want to think about another question." I let myself fall onto my back and rest on one of his pillows. "I'm just tired, okay?"

 

Nathan didn't speak for a while, then smiled. "Aren't those important though?"

"Maybe." I closed my eyes.

"I mean, without questions, you can't learn anything. Unless someone wondered what was in a bird's nest, you wouldn't be able to read about baby birds in a book."

"Don't be so logical." I half joked with a small groan. "Even still, I just want answers now. Is that so much to ask?"

"Maybe." He mimicked my answer. "But really though. You gotta keep asking questions. The more you ask, the more you know. I have an idea." He hopped off the bed. "Let's try to piece everything together."

"How can you piece a strange book to the heaviness I feel?" I opened a single eye to watch him open a notebook and start to tear up strips of paper.

"Great question!" He picked up a pencil and began to write on each one. "That's why we're going to do this."

This hyper and excited energy, it's a different one than what I feel from him at school. Almost like the one I felt when the robot attacked. He gathered up all the paper and set a pile on the bed. "We're going to draw strips and think of as many questions as we can. Eventually we should find some more clues."

 

I pulled myself to a sit and looked down. "Will this really work?"

"Only way to find out I suppose." He pulled himself onto the bed and sat across from me. We'll take turns picking one clue and both of us will ask any questions we come up with for that item. This way, you can only focus on one object at a time."

 

This idea, it wasn't too bad. I was till unsure, but it's worth a try. I nodded slowly, and hesitantly picked one up. "What's it say?" Nathan lowered his voice slightly. I looked down to the paper and read it outloud. "Kiwwi's strange warning." I thought for a moment. "This is talking about the second reason I need to finish my mission before the end of the week." I bit my lip. "He never told me what it was."

"So let's start thinking." Nathan crossed his arms. "Here's one. How does he know about it?"

That... Was a good question. Kiwwi has been with me the whole time, so he knew just as much as I did, unless he went off on his own while I was out. But he told me he couldn't move because of all the nurses and doctors watching. Either one of those is a lie, or he's known about it for a long time.

"What is it?" I mutter, asking the question we both were wondering. After a while of thinking, Nathan raises another paper. "Cat Noir's disappearance." He read out loud. Ah, I almost forgot about that. So many questions on that, I didn't even know which one to say at first. I suppose, just start from the beginning. "Why'd he break his promise?" I crossed my arms and thought. But there was nothing that seemed to fit together.

"You spoke to him before the attack, and no students were missing after. Is Cat Noir really a student? Maybe he doesn't even go to the school." Nathan offered a suggestion. It wasn't something I had thought about before, but then... Did moving across town really not make a difference? "He's not someone to break a promise, right? Did he just forget?"

"I don't know. Should we come back to this one?" I shook my head slowly. So far, this hasn't been working like I had hoped. Nathan leaned in and grabbed another paper. "Here we go. Marinette's feeling at the hospital."

"The only thing I could ask is 'what's wrong?'. This is pointless. Everything we've drawn has only caused us to repeat the same questions I've been having the whole time. None of these things can be related, no matter how much you think about it." I tossed the strip of paper back into the pile and fell onto the pillows again. "You can keep asking questions, but i'm done. Question after question... It's like one big riddle." Almost tempted to shut my eyes, I tried to keep them open and look up at the ceiling. There wasn't anything interesting about it. Just a normal everyday ceiling, but at the moment, it felt like the most interesting thing in the world. It was silent for a long time. I didn't feel the bed move like he was getting up, so Nathan just sat there, probably feeling hopeless as well. Then I almost fell off the bed as he threw himself down beside me and mimicked how I was laying, looking straight up. "So then what do you plan to do?" Nathan muttered, sounding sleepy. I didn't know anymore. I couldn't answer something like that right now. I thought I had it planned out but it wasn't working how I had hoped. I just stayed quiet, and he reached over the side of his bed to lift up a journal. I watched for a moment, only out of boredom. He slid the pencil out of the binding and flipped to a free page. Sitting back up, he started to glide over the paper, slow down and concentrate, then flick his wrist, looking pleased. What was it? What was he drawing? I pushed myself up and looked over his shoulder to see a curved body on the paper. The hands were carefully defined, each finger looking perfect, like it was right out of a cartoon. The arms led up to a woman's body and her legs were slightly shorter than an adult's would be. He shaped short hair over the woman's shoulders, then changed to the face, making sure to slow down for the eyes. Before he moved on, he put a strange mark around them and lowered to the shirt. But what I thought would be a shirt, changed into a long wet suit looking article. It ended around her wrists and ankles, appearing to be the same item. Then he went back up to the neck, draping a cape around her shoulders and gliding down the paper to finish it off. Finally, he went to the top of her head and drew two, small pointed ears on top. It looked familiar when it was done, but I didn't quite recognize her. "Is this it?" He looked up to face me. "I admit, I've never seen it, but I think this is what you look like, from how you explained yourself." He handed the notebook over for me to see and waited with a light smile. Is this me? What I really look like, before all this happened? I did used to have short hair, but only for the convenience of battle. "Yeah. It's me." I returned the smile and set it down. "Thanks. I almost forgot what I used to look like."


	17. Chapter 16: Where I Am Loved

"I'm sorry there's nothing else I can do." His voice grew quiet. I set my hand over the paper, and gently started to tear it from the notebook. "I'll keep it with me. You've done more than enough, considering you didn't need to do anything at all." I chuckled. A real one this time. When I started this mission, I didn't expect to make any friends or bonds like I have. "I think this is the first good luck I've had in a long time." I pulled the paper out and started to fold it in half, then stopped, remembering the note still in my pocket. "What kind of good luck do you mean? T-The drawing? I can always make you more if you want." He tilt his head and beamed a smile. That's not what I meant. I'm grateful for the drawing and everything.. But there's more to it than that. "Thanks." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the card to make room for the drawing. "But i'm talking about meeting you. Even in my old school, and before I became a kwami user, I never had friends like I've been making here. Marinette, you, Alya, everyone's been so nice.." I started to unfold the card again slowly, reading upon everyone's names. "Nathaniel." I gave him a smile. "That's a good name. I think I like it a little better."

Nathan lowered his eyes, rubbing the back of his head. "Y-You think so? I don't know. I like (y/n) more than Raven."

I'm sure he was just being nice, but I was serious. I fell silent, slipping the drawing into my pocket and looking back to the card. Which one do I keep? I don't have room in my pockets for both. Before the room became an awkward silent, he clapped. "I got it."

"Got what?" I didn't look up from the card, barely even listening to what Nathan was saying. He rolled off the bed and made his way to the dresser, scattered with various papers and tools. "You need to relax, so let's make something." In a quick swoop, he gathered a bunch of papers and pencils and turned to dump them on the bed, covering the blankets with the items. Well, it seemed easy enough. I set the card beside me and scoot closer to everything. "Well, I suppose. But make what?" When I looked up, a smile was over his face. "I have no idea. The only way to answer that is to start."

I grabbed one of the papers, slightly crumbled with erase marks on it, but it would work. I flattened the edges and reached for one of the pencils. "I still have no idea what to make." I let out an awkward laugh. He had already started drawing, making me feel left behind. For a relaxing activity, I wasn't feeling relaxed. With no ideas, I picked up another paper. This one was covered in unfinished drawings. Three or four different shapes all merged together, erase marks obviously failing to have hidden them. "What was this supposed to be?" I looked up to Nathan. He sat up a little straighter and looked over my shoulder. "Oh that? That was from a long time ago." He gave a bright smile. "I wanted to make a comic book but it took weeks to even figure out what to start with. I meant to throw that away."

Now that I looked at it, it looked like fragmented pieces of figures, backgrounds, and styled letters. I never did draw very much, but when I did, I knew how this felt. To want a story told but not knowing how to go about it. Seeing this made me happy for some reason.

"I think I have an idea." I stated out loud and splayed the paper out. I picked up a pencil and made it comfortable in my hands before connecting some of the previous lines together. One after another, I just drew where it felt like until something started to come together. I didn't know what I was making until the paper was filled up with abstract. "What is it?" Nathan broke the silence curiously. I'm... Still not sure yet. "Do you have anything to color with?" I looked up. "I think i'm onto something."

He nodded without a word and dug through his backpack to pull out a small wooden box. "I don't color much. But I think there's some pencils and markers here. U-Use whatever you want." The boy nodded and set it on the bed. A small metal hatch on the side kept it closed. I flipped it up and carefully opened the lid. Like the paper, I could see the age in all the items. Markers were faded out, colored pencils were broken, even a few unusable crayons hid themselves inside. I didn't really mind though. It wasn't the color I used, but how I used it. I picked up a random pencils, finding a dark blue one in the mix. Carefully, I colored inside the lines, spreading the color out then stopping when I felt it was enough. When I set the pencil back, I raised my head to the boy beside me. "What do you think?" I asked quietly.

He flicked his eyes over from his own work and checked it out for a moment before speaking. "It looks kinda like a bird, doesn't it?" He pointed to one of the spots. "See? There's the beak and over here-" He moved his finger up. "Is the tail feathers. It's like a peacock."

Now that he pointed it out, he was right. It did look like one. I grabbed another pencil, finding that one to be green and did the same thing. The paper slowly started to be filled more and more. And again, I asked what he thought. "That one looks like a turtle." He stated slowly. "It looks like it's standing on two legs and facing the side. The shell sticks out there."

"I do see it." I nodded with a grin and grabbed another one. This time, Orange was in my hands. It was a little darker than it was supposed to be from years of use, but it wouldn't be a problem. I took a deep breath, and covered in more of the open spots. But when I was done, I realized what was happening. "Nine." I whispered to myself. "Even when i've never even seen them, I feel like I still know."

Nathan set his pencil down and moved closer to see what I was doing. "The kwamis. That's the fox." I closed my eyes. "I don't need to keep coloring anymore. I know what I made, even when I didn't intend too. Isn't that a funny thing?" I laughed quietly, then shifted, suddenly feeling something poke my behind. How could I have forgotten? I reached into my back pants pocket and pulled out the chest that had been given to me. "What's that?" The red headed Nathan wondered, tilting his head.

"It's not the real one, that's for sure." I ran my finger across the top. "The real one is much larger. A criminal like Doctor Death wouldn't have been able to take it from the guardian. But even still, he gave this to me for a reason."

"Will you open it then?"

I didn't need to be asked. Of course I would. I just didn't know if I was ready. What would I find? A prank, maybe? No. He was serious about this. I swallowed my worries, then slowly lifted the lid. Inside I found...

"It's empty?" Nathan questioned.

"Well, it's not real. But there is something off about this." I looked back into the box. It was shaped to fit each kwami inside. The green area for the turtle, the orange for the fox, the blue for the peacock. There was also a yellow, for the bee, and a purple for the moth. In the center was a ying and yang, shaped to fit a ring and round earrings. Those were what Cat Noir and Ladybug wore, so that has to be them. But there was something... Very wrong. "Where is it?" I turned the box around, hoping i'd find what i'm looking for. Nathan didn't say anything, but I could see a worried look on his face too.

"This can't be right. Where's Ibbi and Kiwwi's place? They're supposed to be here too. Why aren't they here?" I bit my lip almost hard enough to draw blood. "There has to be a hidden slot or something i'm missing." I shook my head. What is this? I don't understand. The should have a place too, right? I used my free hand to pull the wristband from my pocket. "Hey, speak to me you guys. What is this?" There was only silence now, either sleeping or refusing to answer. I know this isn't the real one, but even still, this means something, doesn't it? Like all the other strange things going on, I wouldn't doubt this was a part of that too.

"Are they not official kwamies or something? Nathan offered. I shook my head in reply. "That shouldn't be it. They work just like Ladybug's and Noir's do. They have their special object and miraculous power. There's no way they're fakes. You can't just call my friend a fake!" I suddenly shouted, clenching my fists. Nathan raised his hands and shook his head. "I-I'm sorry! It was only an idea." He lowered his eyes to his knees and fell silent. I instantly felt bad. I snapped again... Just like last time. He only wanted to help. I sighed, releasing my grip, and set a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, again. I don't know how you bother to put up with me." I put the wristband inside the box and shut it. Making sure it was closed good, I slipped it back in my pocket.

 

"It's okay. Did you relax while you had the chance though?" He forced a bright smile. I nodded quickly. "Yeah. Thanks. I suppose.. It was a good idea." I glanced down at my drawing in front of me. "You wanted to make a comic, right? Did you ever do it?" I raised an eyebrow curiously. Just what did he end up making, if not any of that? The boy shrugged. "I guess so. It's not very good, and Chloe kinda laughed at it when she saw. But I think it's done." He trailed off quietly. After a long silence, I shifted my position and spoke. "So could I see it?"

Almost instantly, Nathan's face went red. Was it that bad? With how we draws, I bet it looked amazing. He shook his head, avoiding my gaze. "That's a private one."

I almost felt offended. Even though I shared my secret with him, he wouldn't let me see a comic book? I quickly shook those thoughts away. It must be hidden for a reason. If he didn't want to share it, I won't force him. "Oh alright." I shrugged my shoulders. Even he seemed a little taken aback but smiled in return.


	18. Chapter 17: My Name Is...

"I just talked to my mom." The door opened slowly. Nathan's red hair fell over one of his eyes, making him look almost sad, despite the light smile on his lips. He looked up slowly, then came in all the way, closing the door behind him. "I um.. Talked to my mom." He raised his eyes. "She's letting you stay for the night. But since it's Monday, you won't be able to stay after tomorrow."  
"Right." I had almost forgot. Even if I wasn't planning for school tomorrow, he still needed to go. "Is there a guest bedroom?" I pulled myself off the bed, picking up my drawing with me. The small box pressed against my leg, reminding me of its presence. He shook his head quickly. "S-Sorry. But you can use the couch, if that's okay." He crossed his arms. "I think I have a spare blanket you can use." Nathan made his way to the closet and slid it open. Unlike the other kind of door, this closet slid open and had two doors instead of one. The closet opened up, revealing a tidy inside. A small desk was inside, and I could see folded clothes inside. A few books piled on top. Clothes were hung up on a rack evenly, even if a few were starting to slide off their hangers. A couple of boxes were on the very top shelf, a pile of white blankets beside them. He stood up on his tippy toes and pulled one down, keeping his hand on the stack as well so the whole thing wouldn't fall with it. Then he turned and handed it out. "Here. I'll just be in here, s-so if you need anything, i'll umm.." He paused for a moment. "I'll be here."   
I gave an appreciative nod and started out the door. He acted like everything happening here was normal, but it must have been a lot to take in. Even when I told my story, he didn't say a word. The clue connecting must have been for him as well. I didn't know how I was going to thank Nathan for all his help when this was over. Could I even pay back this kind of caring? After I was so mean, he still smiled and offered a place for me to sleep. I went down the stairs, paying more attention to detail this time around. It was a simple looking house. The stairs led into the dining room on the left and the living room on the right. A few family pictures hung along the wall as I passed them. Faces frozen in time... Cameras were amazing for sure. I turned to look at the living room. The curtains were closed, basking the room in a dim red light. Unlike Marinette's bright and colorful house, this one was more gentle and warm. The TV was on the far wall with a long brown couch facing it. A few tables sat on either side with a coffee table in front of it. Nothing was on it besides a cloth splayed out over it, covered with rose drawings. I worked my way down the stairs, taking a breath at the end. Even going down stairs was starting to become difficult. It's all going to end at the end of the week, isn't it? And tomorrow is Tuesday. Arachnophobia will make her appearance on Saturday, maybe sooner. After all, she is a girl with depression. If the only thing keeping her hopes up was the insect exhibit, then she could be.. Unpredictable. This whole time, i've been going by probability. A mental disorder like depression could disrupt everything.   
I shook my head and sat on the couch. I shouldn't think about that when I was getting ready for bed. "You there, Kiwwi? Ibbi?" I pulled the box from my pocket. "Are you sleeping too?"  
I almost didn't expect a reply, but heard Kiwwi's distant voice, almost like a whisper. "Always." He spoke. I couldn't help a smile, holding the box to my chest then putting it back in my pocket. "I should sleep now I suppose." I spoke outloud and fell onto my back, pulling the blanket up. It was so dark, I almost felt alone here. I closed my eyes and rolled over to my side, whispering goodnight, even though I wasn't sure to who.  
Never wake up. Do you hear me?

 

It's a lie. A lie! Save us! 

(Y/n)! We need you!  
Need me? Save you? I don't understand. Where are you?  
Open your eyes. We're in danger. You're in danger. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need pasta. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you. We need you-

 

I shot open my eyes. What kind of dream was that? I felt... Afraid.   
"Are you awake?" Someone was standing beside me, a hand on my shoulder. I pushed myself to a sit and nodded. "I-I think so. Just a nightmare." I blinked repeatedly. Yeah, i'm still lying on the couch. Suddenly, I was embraced. A pair of arms wrapped around me gently. "I'm glad. I heard you crying and didn't know what to do."   
That voice... he was speaking quieter than usual. I smiled, feeling the warmth of a hug. Something I didn't know I needed until now. "Nathan." I muttered his name, slowly letting myself return the hug. "Nathaniel." I realized I was tearing up, I hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry for scaring you."   
I didn't know how long we had been hugging when he finally yet me go. Yet when he did, I felt alone again. The boy sat on the couch beside me and let out a long yawn. "I'm not sure what time it is." He rubbed one eye. "I think it's pretty early though."   
I pulled my knees up to my chest, letting out a hum that was more of an 'okay' sound. The room went quiet as we just sat in silence. I felt sleep tug at my eyelids but refused to lay back down. I'd rather just stay up all night than have that dream again. I felt the couch shift as Nathan moved slightly, making my flick my gaze up to look at him. "Thank you." I murmured out. He shook his head quickly. "It was nothing, really. All I did was wake you up-"  
"Not just that." I closed my eyes and sighed. "For everything. I never expected any of this. Even if it doesn't work like we had hoped, like the paper slips, you still tried, when you didn't even need to talk to me in the first place."  
Nathan nodded proudly. "I'm happy I did then."   
It started to get quiet again, and I moved to sit right beside him. "You're... A good friend." Almost like Samantha was. Of course they were different, but his kindness felt just like hers. I think I could trust him for sure. I was trying to keep my eyes open but still tired, I couldn't any longer and my head fell against his shoulder before it all went blank.  
When the sunlight began to wake me up, I realized I hadn't dreamt. I no longer felt tired, just exhausted mentally. I opened my eyes slowly, looking around a bright room. The curtains had been opened, letting the sun flood into the room. My head was on something soft, and I was laying down. I don't recall falling asleep this way. I struggled to bring myself to a sit, letting the blanket fall off my body. My head was on a large pillow, and I was alone. I remember Nathan being with me last night, then I fell asleep. Of course he left. And with the silence, he probably went to school.  
So my mission would start like this? Perhaps wanting the news would be a good way to know where to start. I dropped my legs to the floor and stood up, making my way to the TV where the remote sat beside it. Flipping on the TV, I returned to the couch and changed it to the news. "-Mr. Stone will be in town two more days before ending his tour for another year. Thoughts, sir?" A news reporter handed her microphone to a famous rockstar, covered in purple clothes. Interesting I guess, but nothing to go on. I wait for the story to change. It did a few minutes later, and another reporter stood in front of the screen, a small box of video footage behind her. "It has been a little more than a week after the mysterious hero duo disappeared." The screen showed a small poorly recorded video of me and Viperfang. The scene made my heart wrench, but it was over quickly. "Following their absence, another hero has been reported missing as well. Named, Cat Noir, has vanished, leaving our last hope, Ladybug, to fight villains alone. What happened to him? When will he return? This is Mireille signing off. And now, the weather." The screen changed again, where the same girl appeared on a prerecorded scene in front of a map. I recognized that name on my Get Well card. She was in my class, wasn't she?  
But besides that... Cat Noir... Is missing? That would explain everything. Why he never came back. What happened to him after he ran off? This was a serious problem I couldn't afford to wait on. Where would I even go to start looking around? Maybe asking the general public would be a good idea. Today was Tuesday, so the library would be open. I opened up the TV guide and checked the time at the top. It was already lunch time, and speaking of which, i've hardly eaten at all. Before I leave, getting something to eat would do some good, I guess. I hope they didn't mind if I just grabbed something from the fridge.   
I made my way to the dining room where an open door connected to the kitchen. Like every room, this one was clean too, despite the burns on the oven showing signs of use. The fridge was in the far back. Only a few photos were hung onto it. Nothing much of interest but I stopped to examine each one carefully. In one photo was a child covered in wet paint, sitting on a large piece of paper and spreading the paint around, as if he were a human paintbrush. The picture made me smile slightly, getting as good idea of who it was.  
Another one was a tall man and woman under a gazebo. The woman was draped in a white dress and the man was clothed nicely. The couple were kissing. Was this Nathan's parents? They looked happy in the picture. The final photo was the familiar redhead in blue robes. He was smiling into the camera with a scroll in his hands. On the bottom of the picture was something written in marker. I approached more and read the writing slowly. "Nathaniel Kurtzberg, grade 6 graduation."  
I figured that's what this was. Even at my house, my parents didn't take photos much. The only one in my whole house was a framed portrait on the wall of my whole family. Even then, I was in the back, and difficult to see. I never really minded much, but seeing these ones now, it made me a little sad that I never had something like this of my own.


	19. Chapter 18: I Am Myself

I tore my eyes away from the photos long enough to open the fridge and examine the contents, finding nothing really of interest. A full gallon on milk was on the very bottom shelf, and a full variety of foods in the middle, but nothing I could make quickly enough or not make a mess. I didn't have the time for stuff like that at the moment, and I couldn't afford to waste any time cooking. I glanced to the side on the shelves of the doors, hoping there may be something to mix together. To my dismay, it was just more useless things. Condiments, lemon juice, and finally, I spot a jar of jelly among the ketchup bottles. I reached out and pulled it from its spot, turning the jar around to inspect it. "Not expired." I smiled lightly with a nod. "This will do good. Maybe there's some Peanut Butter around here somewhere." A sandwich entered my mind. I could already taste the butter sticking to my mouth, the jelly oozing from the sides. Something as simple as a sandwich sounded heavenly at the moment. My lack of food was easily making my weak. Is that why I got so angry last night? I set the jar on the counter and closed the fridge. One item down, now for the Peanut butter.   
I glanced to each cupboard, wondering which one to open first. One of these should have it, right? I sighed, opening the first one at the start of the kitchen. I had to start somewhere, right? Nathan's house was fairly large, witch a kitchen to match its size. I had always wanted a big house, but being in one on a time limit was more of a nightmare.   
Upon opening it, I found a large stack of matching grey plates, but no foods. I closed it and went to the next one, this time finding cups and mugs, lined up perfectly. Nothing. The next one had bowls and the one after that revealed another set of plates, all in a completely different set of blue. I couldn't help but release a groan of annoyance. That's when I heard a gentle voice from the doorway. A woman, chuckling quietly. Who... Was that? Was she laughing at me? I whipped my head around as my eyes landed on a tall woman with an amused smiled etched on her lips. Her long red hair tumbled down her back, a small braid only on the side of her head to her shoulders. "You look upset, child. Is there something you're looking for?" She raised an eyebrow and leaned on the door frame, arms crossed. She.. Looked familiar. Gazing upon the woman's smile, I finally realized it. I flicked my eyes to the photos once, only to confirm who I thought it was. Her bright green eyes and long red hair, there was no mistaking it. "You're... Nathan's mom, aren't you?" I tilt my head curiously. She looked nice enough, but I didn't know who to trust anymore.

 

After everything that's happened these past couple weeks, I wasn't sure if i'd trust easily ever again. With this woman standing across from me, my guard went up, and I watched her carefully, but kept a smile on my face anyway. She nodded, pushing herself up. "Yes, very observant." She giggled quietly again. "I apologize for not speaking to you last night. I just had a busy day and was too tired to even say hello. I was out like a light in moments. Or, that's what my husband said, but I bet he was out cold too right after me." She waved her hand around like she was bored of everything. Then she froze and lowered her eyes down to me. "Well, i'd love too speak more. What do I call you?" She moved closer slowly, hand out.   
It's like she knew how I was feeling... Just like Nathan. The resemblance was something near incredible between these two. She even had the same shade of hair. I allowed her to come closer and accepted the greeting, tightening my hand around hers and giving it a small shake. "(y/n). I'm (y/n)." I muttered, willingly giving out my real name, it wasn't something I had planned on, but it just felt normal to let my code-name drift away. The woman released her grip and crossed her arms again. "Nice to meet you, (y/n). Now, if I didn't know better, it looks like you want to make a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, right?" She tapped a finger onto the jar of jelly. With that out, it was obvious. "You go sit down, i'll do it." Her voice was as smooth as silk.  
"But-" I started. How could I let her do that for me? This was my problem, and she had enough to deal with. The woman dismissed me quickly with a wave of her hand. "Go on now. I will handle this." She didn't even bother looking up as she opened a cupboard near the fridge and pulled out a full loaf of bread and the butter. Of course, it was in a cupboard I hadn't checked in yet. I let out a sigh and turned back out the door. She was... A little scary. Danger with a smile, I was afraid to get on her bad side. I heard her start to whisper to herself as she made it, but I couldn't quite make out what she was saying. I returned to the couch and dropped into it, falling right into the blanket, not yet cleaned up. Why did she bother making it for me anyway? I could have done it on my own. Before I had the chance to think too deep into it, she returned, blue plate in hand. "Here you are, one fresh PB and J." She grinned widely and lowered the plate to my level.  
I looked over the food, finding a simple sandwich on the plate. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and it smelled fine. I set the plate on my lap and picked up the food to take a bite into it. These tastes... It was just like what I imagined it would taste like. "Thank you." I whispered after swallowing. I had my eyes lowered, assuring I didn't make eye contact. She was nice, and even made me some food, but even still, I felt almost intimidated. I felt the couch shift, and quickly knew she had sat down beside me.  
"(y/n), tell me about yourself." I glanced over for a moment, seeing her turning her head, letting her hair fall over her shoulder and into her lap. Her eyes sparkled excitedly, as if she were a kid. Was this why she made it for me? So i'd have to pay her back? What could I even say to her? Nathan seemed to take my story well, but an adult? She'd think I was crazy. "Well..." I tapped my lap with my right hand so she couldn't see my nervousness, deciding on what to say. Perhaps it would be best to tell her my cover story. So I cleared my throat, recalling what exactly my cover was supposed to be. "I used to live across the city, in a small neighborhood." I started. That was the truthful part of the whole mess. "My best friend ended up dying, and I was forced to come here, so I can.." What was it that I had told Marinette? It was hard to remember exactly, after it being so long ago. "Seek resolution." Was the first thing that came out of my mouth. I'm almost certain that wasn't what I had told her, but I doubt the two would talk anyway. "I didn't bring any money, and Nathan offered me a place here for a night." I completely cut out staying with Marinette, just to stay safe. Hopefully my story sounded believable, and it was sort of true, to a point. She was silent for a long time, and I began to panic. Did she figure out my lies? Why wasn't she speaking? I turned my head away from the woman to bite into my sandwich but my anxiety only grew. Please say something, this was torture! I begged in my head, and as if she could read my mind, the woman rolled her shoulders and relaxed back into the cushions. "Ah that boy." She chuckled. "I don't doubt that in the slightest. You know, he works hard in his studies. If it were up to me, i'd have him bumped a grade up, but his father wants to make sure he doesn't miss a thing. " I almost let our a sigh of relief, knowing she hasn't figured it out. It took all my strength not too. She rest her head back and looked up at the ceiling, like she was reminiscing, but what about? "He says a kid's school years is their only chance at being a kid. But it must be so boring to know everything. And even so, he purposely fails tests so he doesn't have to skip a grade." After telling the random information, she chuckled gently. "Well, I know our house isn't your home, but I hope you slept well anyway. It sure looked like you did." She beamed again. "I got up early for a glass of water and found you two passed out on the couch." 

We... What? I'm sure she was just teasing me. Didn't Nathan leave after I fell asleep? There's no way he stayed there all night. Right? Despite my denial, I found myself still doubting it. Knowing him, he could have. Why was I pondering over this? It didn't really matter but I found myself blushing. My cheeks warmed and my palms grew sweaty. I had to set down my sandwich and move my plate to the table. "Really? I don't remember that happening." I tried to wave it off, but I saw a small smile spread over her face. "Cute. You know (y/n), I like you. You're different, you know." Suddenly her fingers were examining Samantha's part of my hair. She poked at the braid, shaking her head. "Yes, very different. (Y/n), why do you keep such beautiful hair up like this?" 

"I-it gets in the way." I suddenly stuttered. This woman... She gave me mixed feelings. Like she knew something, but if she found out who I was, why didn't she say anything? She couldn't have figured it out! "You should let your hair flow." Nodding, she pat her hands on her lap. "Yup! With hair like that, it would be magnificent!" 

Take down my hair? The first time it flowed freely, my hair got tangled in my bat claws and I had to rip it out, which didn't feel good in the slightest. But I wasn't planning on changing anytime soon. If it made her happy, maybe I could let it down for a while. I gave her a short nod then began to untwist my hair. I never had a hair tie in, but the rope stayed in place on it's own. My hair slowly began to fall, piece by piece. At my shoulders, my hair turned into my own and the braid fell apart, leaving my hair wrinkled around my body. With a braid up as long as it has been, of course there was wrinkles. Samantha had completely straight hair, but this didn't really look too bad. All this hair.. there was so much, it felt like a blanket over my body. I pulled myself up to stand, feeling the hair stop at my knees. Her hair was never this long, but with mine, it probably grew in length. The woman clapped approvingly. "Yes yes, I like it. Now-" She paused to stand up as well, then set a hand on my shoulder. "Take the sandwich with you. You have places to go today, don't you?" She reached behind me then list up my food. I couldn't help giving her a suspicious look and hurried out the door, closing it behind me without looking back. 

When I was outside and felt the sun on my skin, I paused to shiver. She definitely... Was a creepy mom.


	20. Chapter 19: Now

Where was I going? My feet were moving, but I felt empty, alone, cold. Was I really moving? I think I was moving. Buildings were passing me, I felt the pressure of steps on my feet, so I had to be moving, right? It felt like I wasn't in control of my own body anymore. My thoughts drifted and circled in my head like a wild tornado. I couldn't even focus on one particular thing. Where do I go? I don't understand any of this. What leads do I have? I felt my sandwich slip from my hand but I didn't have time to stop and pick it up. I could always eat later anyway. I was too busy to feel hungry at all, honestly. All the roads I passed looked unfamiliar, but exactly the same. I blinked, raising my head to a passing sign. This street... I knew this street. How long had I been walking? "This is..." I forced myself to a stop so I could examine my surroundings. "That's right. This is the town hall."   
The mayor should be inside right now. If the mayor was indeed there, I might have the chance to get some information. After all, he oversees the whole city, so he must know about Ladybug and Cat Noir, even if he was missing right now. I took a deep breath before approaching the glass doors. They seemed to tower over me, intimidating. I set my hand on the glass and pushed it open. Almost instantly, a rush of cool air blew right into me. I closed my eyes and brushed my hair away from my face before it blew everywhere. When it calmed, I noted an air conditioner in the ceiling. That hadn't been on when I was here the first time, but now that everything is calmed down, the mayor probably had it on to make sure his office didn't overheat.   
There didn't appear to be anyone at the front desk, but a flash of black did cross my eyes. I turned in the direction, seeing a man dressed in a butler outfit slowly making his way downstairs. He wore a small smile, and a silver platter in his right hand. "Oh, a visitor?" The man wondered. "I'm sorry. Were you waiting long?"  
A butler working in city hall? The mayor must have money to burn. That... Wasn't a good sign, I think. What kind of guy was the mayor? I shook my head at his question and approached. "I'm here to see the Mayor. It's serious."  
The butler raise an eyebrow, and set the platter on the front desk. "Serious you say? If you're willing to wait, the Mayor is with his daughter right now for lunch. I'll tell him you're here."  
Without another word, he turned swiftly and hurried back upstairs, coattail flying behind him. The room fell silent again, besides the sound of wind from the air conditioner. I decided to lean against the desk and close my eyes. Now that it was quiet and I would be alone for a while, I wanted to recollect myself. My legs were sore from walking so long without break. That meant I really was moving, wasn't I? I looked down at my hands, growing thin from the lack of food. I could see the shape of bones under the skin, but I didn't really care. My clothes were dirty and hanging off my body, almost making me look like I was homeless. My hair was unbrushed and ragged. I wasn't taking care of myself, was I? I ran my fingers through the strands, trying to make myself look presentable. What happened to the comb Chloe had given me? That could have been useful, but I probably lost it somewhere. 

I forgot how long I had been waiting when I heard a hurried voice coming down the stairs. "I'll be right there!" A man called. I flicked my attention up to see a slightly overweight man in a suit rushing towards me. Not far behind him was the familiar Chloe, looking annoyed, coming down the stairs with the butler from earlier. Was it possible... SHE was the mayor's daughter? I never knew she was that important, she surely didn't let people forget it at school, or anywhere for that matter.   
The mayor looked around the room then lowered his eyes down at me. "You couldn't possibly be the serious matter, could you? You look like a twig." He scoffed. "A twig is a compliment to it." The blonde girl spat, nose up as she passed out the doors. It? Was I an It? Before I could ask, he sighed. "I see. Come to my office. I can spare a couple minutes."  
He waved his hand for me to follow then turned and started walking. How do you even act around someone like a mayor? What do I say? Where do I start? Luckily, he didn't go up the stairs, and instead led me into a nearby empty room. He shut the door behind him and flipped a lightswitch, giving the room a dim light. Only a desk and two chairs were in it, with barely enough space to move around. He made his way around the desk and sat across from me, then nodded to the second one. "Sit." He ordered. I didn't argue, plopping down. In a town hall, shouldn't there be more space and better rooms? Why this one?  
"You have questions, I can see." He cupped his hands on the table. "Just to get it out of the way, I know exactly who you are."   
My heart skipped. How did he know so easily? Was it the video? Did he see past my looks? Was I standing strangely? "H-How do you-"  
"You think i'm stupid? That I don't check the missing person reports? A girl goes missing, just as another girl with no file enrolls in school?" He closed his eyes. "I know exactly who you are, but why you're here, I have no idea. So speak. What do you want?"   
I cleared my throat. How do I start? "I-I umm.." I shook my head and clenched my palms. "I need help, finding Ladybug." I left out Noir, since he was still missing. "She's the only hope I have to get back to normal. S-So I thought since you're the mayor, you might... Know something?" I lowered my eyes to my lap.

He nodded slowly, and fell back into his chair. "I see. And why should I help you, when I could be spending time with my daughter?" The mayor frowned, crossing his arms.   
That... I didn't have an answer for. All I could do was give him a shrug. The mayor huffed, then pulled something out of a hidden jacket pocket. "Just because of who you you are, i'll give you this. But don't expect anything else from me. Do you know why I chose this room?" He suddenly asked a strange question I couldn't think of an answer for. "Is it because..." I couldn't finish. It's because I looked like garbage isn't it? He had no respect for someone like me, so that's how I was being treated. I should my head instead of finishing my sentence. "It's because this is the only room without cameras or hidden microphones."   
He pulled himself up and left the room, closing the door again and leaving me alone. Why did he say that?   
I looked down at the file, seeing a single name written on it. "Noir." In bold letters. The mayor planned for me to visit, didn't he? So he kept this with him. But why was this file here? If nobody knew who he was, then why bother having it?   
And just what did he mean when he said there was no cameras here? Did he want me to.. read this here? That must be it. No footage of whatever was in this file. I slowly opened it up, and papers spilled out. I ducked to grab them all then lined them up over the table. "So what do we have here?" I picked up the first paper.  
"Case 4: Timebreaker"  
"Cat Noir was spotted earlier that day with his partner, Ladybug, or two ladybugs, fighting off a teenage girl named Alix who had become Timebreaker. (See file 'Timebreaker')  
He was frozen in place and unable to battle until Ladybug managed to repair the damage done. No known facts."  
I set the paper in the folder and picked up another one.  
"Case 24: Puppeteer"  
"Cat Noir has been reported vulnerable to the Puppeteer, a young girl, (See File) by voodoo with a doll of him. Ladybug and Noir successfully defeated her."  
Nothing of use. Why did he give me this? This was just a record of all their past battles. I could have checked the Ladyblog and found the same stuff. Was there something here i'm missing? I set the paper back in the file and picked up another one.   
"Case 8: Evillustrator"  
"Ladybug missing. (See file). Only Cat Noir found at the scene of Evillustrator, a young highschool boy by the name of Nathaniel (See file). Villain successfully defeated with help of a normal girl by the name of Marinette (See file)."  
No way. Nathan was a bad guy at one point? And Marinette was there? I felt a small spark in my chest, and quickly knew it was jealousy. A stupid reason, but I couldn't dwell on that. I wish there was pictures attached to each file, but it seems like nobody could get one. I decided to keep this one with me. I folded it up and pushed it in my pocket with the drawing, then picked up another.  
"Case 18: Simon Says"  
"CLASSIFIED."  
"SEE FILE: GABRIEL"  
"CAT NOIR'S IDENTITY DISCOVERED."  
This file.. What was this? Who was Gabriel? And his identity discovered? There was nothing on this paper at all about the villain. What was.. This? I set the paper back, then shuffled the rest together and closed the file. When I exit the room, only the butler stood beside the front desk. He gave a smile when he saw me come out then approached with his hand out. "I am to return this to the files. I was asked to give you this though." He took the file and handed me a slip of paper instead. "Read this when you get outside. And don't let anyone see. But you can keep this one."  
I nodded in understanding and I started outside. I didn't look back until I pushed the doors open to see he was still watching me. I started to feel uneasy and ducked around the corner. Nobody was around so I opened the paper and started to read.  
Name: Gabriel Agreste  
Occupation: Fashion designer  
Other Family: Adrian Agreste, Mrs. Agreste/missing/ (See files)  
"Gabriel reported after being hypnotized of suspicions about his son and requested secret spy service. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed Adrian was indeed called in for questioning. (See File, Noir.)"  
See file.. Noir? No way... No... Cat Noir is Adrian? If Cat Noir was missing, does that mean Adrian is gone too? It suddenly clicked. Everything about him clicked. That explained why Marinette was so upset. I guess now I have to pay a visit to the school and find what I can there.


	21. Chapter 20: To Protect

Cat Noir is... Adrian Agreste? It almost felt surreal. My whole mission was to find them, but now that I discovered one, it didn't feel real. Something in my gut told me... This was wrong. It was wrong to want to know who they were. But now that I did, I knew I had to take action. Adrian was missing, Cat Noir was missing. Not only was a hero gone, but so was a friend, a son. I had to find him. But nobody should ever see this paper. I spread my fingers out, and quickly ripped the paper in half. Then I turned the two pieces around and ripped those in half. I kept ripping and ripping until only a pile of tiny pieces of paper lay at my feet.   
This way, the secret would stay safe.  
Was this right? Was I doing okay?   
I couldn't stay in an alley and ponder that all day. With only a few days left, I was running out of time quicker than I had to spare. I started off towards the school, feeling my body running out of energy alarmingly. It was good the school was pretty close by, but to run there still stole my energy.

"Are you still here guys?" I whispered to the kwamis residing in my bracelet. There wasn't a reply but I trusted they were here with me. When I entered the walkway, I could see people were still in the courtyard eating lunch. A large clock on the wall pointed to ten minutes till 1'. Lunch was an hour, right? So then, by the time I had woken up, visit town hall, and made my way here, it was only fifty minutes. It felt much longer than that, in all honesty. But at least I still have time to find someone to talk too and find what I can. I scanned the courtyard once more, carefully inspecting each individual student. Many of the students weren't in my class, so it was more than likely that they wouldn't know anything useful. Strangely enough, I didn't see Marinette, which was pretty odd. Didn't she come to school everyday? And even if she was late a lot, past lunchtime wasn't normal for her. I saw Juleka and Rose sitting on the steps chatting quietly, Alix showing a video on her phone to Sabrina with Chloe looking irritated against the wall. Nino and Alya were together, smiling and talking to two larger boys.   
"I don't think i've ever spoken to them." I muttered to myself. Of course, I had seen them in class, but I wasn't sure I even knew their names. They sure looked... Intimidating too. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mylène eyeing the two boys on the far left wall with a worried look in her eyes. Another boy was talking, looking like he was trying to calm her down. A gaming device was in his hands and he was trying to get her to look at something. I took a deep breath and approached the two boys, overhearing the conversation between the four students.   
"Are you sure about this?" Alya asked, raising an eyebrow.  
The taller of the boys nodded. "A little friendly competition. You'll be there, right?" He wore a proud grin.  
"I'm totally coming!" Nino clapped. "What's the bets?"  
"We're betting?" The second boy wondered, turning to the other.   
"Um, yeah." He replied, in an 'of course!' tone. "Winner gets everything people offer, plus they get the best seat in the room for a day."  
"I don't have any money for this." Alya crossed her arms. "It's not money, is it?"  
"Nope." The taller boy shook his head. "Anything you wanna bring, that way it's exciting. New pencil pack, a pillow, muffins, doesn't matter."  
"Sweet. I think I got a roll of duck tape i'm never going to use." Nino chuckled.   
I decided to make myself known by asking a question. "If it's not too bothersome to ask, what's the competition?" I tilt my head curiously. The four students turned towards me and the taller one replied. "A race. We're going all the way around the school block three times then up the stairs to the class."  
"It was gonna be a fight but the teacher wanted to come and we had to change it." The second boy pout and crossed his arms.   
"Oh right, I don't think we've spoken." The tall boy smiled sheepishly. "I'm Kim. That's Ivan." He nodded to the second and offered his hand to shake. Ivan waved quickly then avert his eyes towards the ground.  
Ivan was slightly shorter and looked a little overweight. He had black hair with a small patch of brown. I wasn't sure if it was dyed or not, but it appeared to be. Kim had the same brown in his hair, but he was blond, slightly taller, and looked more muscled.  
I hesitantly took Kim's hand and shook it. His hand was so large, he completely covered my own. I'm so glad... I wasn't Ivan when they wanted to fight. Although, fighting Ivan didn't look like a good idea either. Both boys were large and looked tough. Kim released my hand and grinned proudly. "It's Raven, right?"  
Oh right, I had almost forgotten my alias. Why did I reveal my name? I told Nathan's mom my real name without a second thought. I trusted him with it, but his mom? Did I make the right choice? Could I really trust her with that? And even if I couldn't, I can't rewind time again. "That's right. Raven Cambre. C-Can I ask you something?" I lowered my voice shyly. All three of the other student's eyes were on me, watching me curiously without a word. Being the center of attention like this began to make me uncomfortable but I couldn't let a little anxiety stop me from my mission.   
My mission... What was my mission anymore? I thought I had it all planned out at the start, but now, i'm not even sure what my goal was. I found out Cat Noir's identity, and I shredded the paper up. Am I looking for a pair of students with kwamis? Am I finding where Adrian went? Am I even trying to find the healer any more?  
I guess as Kiwwi used to say before all this happened, "Just wing it."  
I hope I find what i'm looking for.   
Kim nodded. "Yeah sure, what is it?" He went quiet to let me speak. I guess I should get straight to the point without wasting any time. Once the bell rings, I would have to leave school without being spotted, after all.  
"Do you know anything about the disappearance on Cat Noir?" I blurt out quickly. All four students seemed baffled at my question, but Ivan suddenly moved closer to stand beside Kim. "It was in the news. Ladybug and him were fighting another bad guy n' stuff when he was..." He looked around, a sad look in his eyes, but didn't finish his sentence. Kim sighed, crossing his arms. "He was impaled." He finished what Ivan didn't.  
"It was horrible." Alya butt in. "I was recording the whole fight. But the strangest thing is he didn't bleed."  
"That's the strangest?" Nino raised an eyebrow then shook his head. "Nah man it had to be what happened after."  
I blinked, starting to feel confused. Impaled? Was he.. Killed? If he was, why was he reported as missing? "What happened after?" I turned to Nino. The boy adjusted his hat, and frowned. "There was a huge flash of blue light, then he was gone. No body, no blood, it's like he never existed."  
Blue light? Why did that feel so familiar? What happened to his body? This just started to bring up even more questions I couldn't wrap my head around. I didn't understand this at all! Kim raised an arm and scratched the back of his head, a look on his face told me he was thinking about something. Then he let out a defeated sigh and closed his eyes. "Man, I had never seen anything like it before, besides being in movies. Did he never exist in the first place? Maybe ladybug is fake too." He narrowed his eyes. "I knew heroes seemed too good to be true."  
"No." I suddenly spoke, without realizing what I just said. They all waited for me to say something, so I just spoke. "I think they really were real. Because..." I started to trail off.  
"Because?" Alya urged me to continue. I couldn't tell them who Cat Noir was, but the blue, why did it feel so familiar? I feel... Like I should know it. Where have I seen it before? I think I recall it being night when I saw it. Then it struck me. "Because i've seen it before." I admit. The four students seemed baffled, then there was another voice behind me. "You have? Where? When?"   
It sounded like a boy behind me, and when I turned around, I saw the same boy who had been with Mylène when I arrived. He looked curious and suspicious at the same time.   
I hadn't lied. I have seen the light before. The same light that appeared when... When Viperfang died. That wasn't when the fusion happened, was it? That's when her body disappeared. Where did it go? Has this been happening when someone dies the whole time, and I never knew? But... Is Cat Noir really dead?  
He couldn't be! He... Couldn't be... I started to feel dizzy, but shook the feeling away before I decided to pass out. I nodded to him, holding my hands together. Not for any real reason, just that it felt nice. "It happened last week. I-I saw the footage on the news." I forced a false smile to appear convincing. "It was that one girl-"  
"The snake girl. Yes, I saw that too. You're right. But she was a hero too, wasn't she? Does that mean all heroes don't exist?"   
Heroes don't exist.  
No. That's not true! Viperfang was real! We spoke, we laughed, we fought together, we were friends. I had felt her hand when I comfort her, and she saved my life the day Doctor Death nearly killed me. To say she never existed... It would be an insult to our friendship!   
I could still feel it.   
I remembered when she kissed my forehead. I could think back to it, and feel it, even now.   
"Of course they exist." I narrowed my eyes. "Do you doubt them when they saved your lives countless times over before?"  
"Max, what do you think?" Nino interjected, looking to the boy.   
He shrugged, putting his hands on his waist. "I don't know what to think anymore really. Real, not real, he's gone either way.   
"Guys.." Alya suddenly sounded distraught. Everyone looked to her, seeing her phone in her hand, her eyebrows lowered worriedly. "You need to see this." She turned her screen around, and I got a good view of a video replaying over and over again. It was Ladybug, vanishing. Her body flashed blue, then she was gone.


	22. Chapter 21: The Future

"N-No way." Nino's eyes went wide. "Her too? What's going on around here?"  
"It happened this morning, around five AM." Alya pulled her phone back. "The same thing happened to her too. She just vanished."  
Before anyone could get another word in, the bell chimed, signaling all students to return to class. Everyone began to disband and leave except Alya. I stood there with her silently, watching her slow movements. Her eyes glossed over, looking like she was trying to hold back tears. Her head was lowered to her phone and her finger just scrolled. When the courtyard was empty, I finally sighed, and set a hand on her shoulder. "It's not normal." I started. Where was I going to go with this? She stopped scrolling but refused to look up. "It's like they were never here at all. But if they really just vanished, who says they're not alive?"  
I smiled to myself as I began to believe my own words. Viperfang just vanished too... But she gave her life for mine. I knew she was really gone. My smile returned to a frown. But for Ladybug and Cat Noir, there was still hope. I had to cling to that chance too. "Whatever happened to them, I'm sure we'll find out." Alya closed her eyes, then she raised her hand and gripped to my wrist. "Thank you. You're right." I was suddenly pulled into a tight hug, Alya's arms wrapped around me in almost a bear hug. She sniffed, and just held me there for a moment. Despite feeling uncomfortable at the contact, I let her hug me until she felt better and released me on her own. She wiped her eyes and shoved her phone back in her pocket. "You're a good friend, you know." She gave me one last smile and started towards the stairs to get to class. Me? A good friend? Hardly. If only she knew why I was really here. I sighed and turned to the entrance. Where do I go now? I had no leads to follow any more.  
I guess... I'll just wander. Just as I was about to leave the school, I heard an angry voice of a woman calling my name. "Raven! Where do you think you're going?" I heard the sound of heels behind me, and felt almost afraid to turn around. "You're not ditching, are you?"   
I tensed up, and slowly craned my head around. It was a teacher in a white lab coat over a purple shirt. Her hair was short and darker purple purple, flaring out. She wore glasses as well, and seemed so tall compared to me. She... Was scary. "N-No ma'am I- I umm..." I bit my lip and avert my eyes.   
"It's Mendeleiev." She narrowed her eyes. "And just because you're not one of my students this year, it doesn't mean i'm going to let you get away with things. Now, get to class before I report this!" She pointed a long finger in the direction of my classroom. No way... I can't afford to be here and waste time like this right now. I held back a groan, dragging my feet towards the stairs. I could feel her eyes searing into my back as I made my way up. Even with my body growing tired on the way up, I forced myself to climb up the stairs, and looked back one last time before opening the door. Sure enough, she was still watching me. I didn't have a choice here, did I?  
If I hadn't spoken to Alya, I could have gotten away, but even when I was caught, I don't really regret it. I pushed open the door, and everyone looked to me as if I just killed someone. The teacher nodded quickly. "Welcome, Raven. A couple minutes late but i'll let it slide. Go take your seat."  
"Nice of you to finally show up today." Chloe huffed from where she sat.  
"It's her first day back in a few days. Give her a break." Alix rested her chin in her hands. I passed her a gentle smile while heading to my seat. When I sat down, I looked over to Nathan. "Thanks, by the way." I set my arms on the table. He didn't look up from his notebook, but whispered a reply. "For what? You already said thank you last night. I haven't really done all that much."  
"For staying with me all night. Your mom told me. Were you worried about me?" I tilt my head. He set his pencil down, and I saw him tense up slightly. "N-No. You fell asleep on me and I couldn't move." Nathan's red hair fell over his face, blocking me from seeing him, but I caught a glint of pink over his face. Was he blushing? "I was just on your shoulder. I wouldn't have minded if you got up."  
He sighed quietly in response. "Fine. Yeah, I guess I was worried. I wanted to be there in case you had a nightmare again." He went quiet, then raised his eyes to me. "What was it about? Did you see anything?"  
I shook my head. I never saw anything. I just heard voices. Just so many voices. They all sounded so familiar too. "I think I heard someone calling for me, and they needed help."  
"Who?" Nathan's attention was suddenly grabbed.   
"I think I heard.." I tapped my chin. "I think I heard Viperfang. And another girl and boy. The voices were all mixed up though. I couldn't recall who was saying what."  
"You know, don't you?" He frowned a little. "Marinette and Adrian are both missing. Marinette vanished this morning. She hasn't been at school. You don't think..."  
"I was hearing the voices of everyone who went missing?" My eyes widened. It was a possibility for sure. If they really did vanish into nothing... I was the last one with a usable kwami. Were they calling for me because of that? The peacock, the bee, the fox, they were missing. The healer owns the turtle, but nobody knows where he is, and this villain.. I wasn't sure exactly who he was, but I knew he had the moth. So that's it then. I'm the only one who can do this.  
If this was all real, then I just had to find them! Marinette is my friend as well, I can't just leave this be.  
......  
She's my friend.   
I lowered my head to the desk and closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around myself. Was it always this cold here? I felt a hand tighten around mine and I opened my eyes to see Nathan forcing a smile. "Don't worry about it right now. You have enough to deal with."  
I sighed and gripped his hand in return. "Alright."  
Even when I felt better, it was comforting to have contact with another human. I didn't want to release his hand. The lesson had resumed but I hadn't even been paying attention. I tuned into what the teacher was saying to hear another barrage of questions. She tapped her notebook and looked around the class. "Good job, Rose. Next question. What is another name for the Paleolithic Age?"  
Hands were raised, and the teacher chose a student a little ways in front of us. "Ivan, do you remember?"  
He nodded and spoke in a confident voice. "It's the Stone Age, ma'am."   
"Correct." She smiled with a nod. "Next, what is the name given to the process, discovered by Goodyear, of adding sulfur to heated rubber?"  
Nobody raised their hands this time, and the class went quiet then a voice spoke up. "Isn't it vulcanization?"  
Everyone turned back to where I was sitting, and I looked over to Nathan. The teacher clapped to get everyone's attention. "Alright. Good job. Would you mind elaborating?" She asked him. The red head looked into his lap, and quickly pulled his hand back to him. "W-Why do I need too? Nobody else had too."  
"Because this will be on the test on Friday and the rest of the questions were a review. So go on." She waved for him to keep speaking. He let out a sigh and sat up straight. "It's also called 'vulcanisation'. It's a chemical process for changing natural rubber or related polymers into more durable materials by adding sulfur or other equivalent curatives or accelerators." He stopped and looked around. Sabrina suddenly jumped up. "He's cheating! He has to be! Nobody would know that right off the bat!"  
"She's right." Chloe nodded after her friend. "It's so obvious. Teacher, I think you should suspend him for cheating."  
The teacher held up her hand for her to stop speaking and began to walk up the stairs. "Yes, I would like to know how you knew all that. As she approached, Nathan shut his notebook and looked her in the eye. "I just study. That's all."  
I couldn't watch this pointless accusation. All he did was answer a question correctly. "He's telling the truth." I finally spoke up. "His mom told me herself. He studies all the time."  
I guess it was pretty handy to know that after all. Is it possible his mom knew I would need to know that? She was a strange woman, no matter how you looked at it.  
"You spoke to my mom?" Nathan looked back to me, then back to the teacher. "S-She's not lying." His voice grew quiet. "You can't suspend me for that." He almost sounded angry, but kept his temper well. Chloe scoffed in the back. "Yeah sure whatever. We'll just get proof you're a dirty cheater."  
She didn't say anything else, and the teacher gave both of us an apologetic smile then returned to her desk. "Alright class settle down. Let's continue this quiz. After this point, everyone will need to explain their answer."   
Once everything went back to normal, I heard Nathan speak in a gentle voice. "Thank you. This time, you helped me."  
"It wasn't anything special."  
"Did you really speak to my mom?"  
I nodded quickly with a smile. "She was... Nice." Was all I could think of to describe the creepy vibe.  
"Really? She kinda scares me." His eyes widened a little.   
It almost made me start to laugh to see her own son felt the same way I did. But I decided against the outburst. He raised an eyebrow and opened his notebook again. "She's nice though, and she takes good care of me. My dad works a lot, so she's home with me instead."  
A mom like that, it must be nice. I thought back to her beautiful looks. She had sparkling green eyes, and long, fire red hair. "She sounds like a lot of fun. Did you get your looks from her?" I had to ask. With such similar genetics, I wondered what his dad looked liked as well. I didn't get a good look at the wedding photo. Well, I could have, but I wasn't paying attention to what they looked like with my drive for food at the time. "What do you mean?" Nathan picked up his pencil and started to scribble down a few shapes.   
"Well, she was beautiful with the red hair an green eyes, you look a lot alike." I beamed. A small smile curved over his mouth. "You're saying.. I'm beautiful?"  
I started to snicker, then shook my head. "N-No. Well, i'm not saying you're bad looking, wait umm.." I pinched my arm and cleared my throat. "Let me try that again."  
"You don't have too. I get what you mean." He leaned back in his chair and raised his arms to stretch, letting out a small yawn and rubbing an eye. "I'm still a little tired from last night, sorry."


	23. Chapter 22: Keep Moving

The bell chimed and people wasted no time in packing up their belongings. Everyone raced out the door, and of course, I waited a few minutes until everyone was gone. I let out a sigh and began to stand when a hand pulled on my arm. I turned to see Nathan staring back at me. "What are you planning to do?" He asked in a whisper. I had to think for a moment about that. He was speaking about the dream, right? If there was even a slim chance they were alive, I had to take it. "I'm changing my mission." I lowered my eyes to the floor. His hand fell away, and he tilt his head in wonder. "Changing it? I thought your whole mission was to become normal again."   
I gave a small nod, then a gentle smile. "At first. But this isn't about me anymore. I have people I care about to save."  
The room fell into a silence as we both just stood there quietly. What was he thinking about? I wanted to move down the stairs and leave the room, but I knew I would just feel alone all over again. I didn't want to leave at all. But after a few minutes, I let out a heavy breath and began to push myself down the steps. Not even a goodbye could reach my lips. Honestly, I was terrified out of my mind. I had one last change, so how do I know when to use it? What can I do to even begin to save my friends? Marinette, Adrian... Samantha, I have to find a way.  
My hand lingered on the door a moment, and I couldn't help but turning around one last time. Nathan was still standing, smiling sadly. My arm tensed up, and I couldn't find the will to open the door. I returned the smile, then found my words. "You're... With me, right?"  
Without hesitation, he nodded. "Of course." Then going quiet again, he lowered his head and looked to his hands.   
What was he not saying? I wouldn't let another friend silently suffer while I watch, and not someone like him. I dropped my arm to my side and began up the steps again. "There's something you're not telling me." I narrowed my eyes. "You're my friend, aren't you? I won't let you be upset without letting me know."   
Nathan closed his eyes and dropped into the chair. "Yeah, you got me." His voice was barely audible. I set myself back into my chair and scoot closer. "So? What is it? Can I help?"  
I expected too have to force it out, but Nathan spoke without me having to say anything else. "It's all of this." He started. "It's a little overwhelming. Even when you first told me. And now that students are going missing, plus heroes..." He swallowed. "What if you're next? What if I'M next?" His eyes glazed over and his eyebrows lowered into worry. "I'm scared, alright? I don't want anything to happen to either of us."  
So that was it? He was scared too. Well, who wouldn't be, in this situation? I didn't really know what to say, when i'm feeling the same way. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I clenched my fists then spread my fingers out, feeling sweat over my palms. "I-" I bit my lip then pulled him close without a word, I wrapped my arms around Nathan and hugged him tight. "We're going to be okay. I promise, i'll find a way." I whispered just loud enough for him to hear. I could feel him tense up, his heart beating rapidly, then it slowed, and he moved to return my hug. "You promised now.. S-So i'll hold you to that."  
While he couldn't see, a smile spread over my lips. I never expected... To meet someone like this. Who was so much like my best friend, and so different at the same time. I couldn't explain my feelings, but I was going to protect him, no matter what. Nathan pulled away first and wiped one of his eyes, even though he wasn't crying. "I'm counting on you." He laughed gently. I nodded, crossing my arms. "Leave it to me." Then I stopped and looked down to my lap. "Well, leave it to us. I won't be alone, will I?"  
"I'll do my best." He awkwardly looked to the side. "But I don't know how much I could do. I'm a normal person."  
"No way. I've seen you in danger. You're a beast." I started laughing. "You're stronger than you look."  
Then I suddenly recalled the paper waiting in my pocket. I still needed to talk to him about this, didn't I? I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. "Speaking of... I found this when I visit town hall this morning." I unfolded it and held it out. Nathan eyed the paper then took it from me carefully. I wait a moment while he scanned it, then shook his head. "I don't remember this much. It felt more like a bad dream I couldn't recall well." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "Even if I could, I was kinda forced to change against my will. I don't think I could help you." He handed it back with a sad look. "If I really was evil, Ladybug and Noir would know more. But, why do you want to know about this?"  
Why? I don't really know. I just felt like I had to look into it more. I could only give a shrug, folding the paper back up. Suddenly Nathan turned and reached into his pocket. "One moment." He muttered, then pulled out a simple pen. "May I draw something on your hand?"  
When I held my palm out, He took it and gently began to sketch. It barely took a minute for him to lower the pen and nod. "Here."  
He tossed the pen back in his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "I'll see you later, I guess. I have to get home."   
As he ran out the door, I looked down to my hand, seeing a rose over my skin. A single petal was floating away.  
A single petal.... Much like the one I dropped off Marinette's balcony. The one I thought.. He didn't see. I felt my heart skip a beat, and looked up to say something before he left, but he was already gone. This drawing would nag me until I saw him again. Where was I going to sleep now anyway? Should I return to Marinette's? I couldn't... Not when she was still gone, and I couldn't stay at Nathan's anymore. I guess i'll be sleeping on the streets tonight anyway. I heaved a sigh, finally leaving the room. The courtyard was empty now, so I guess I didn't need to worry about being caught. I pulled the chest out of my pocket, gently running my thumb over the top. "I miss you." I spoke, not caring with kwami replied. I just felt alone once again. For a long time, I was alone, but I never felt alone like this before. Not when I was so scared. At least there was still some daylight left, and I could try to find what I could.   
I'd check my phone for the date and time simply out of habit, but it was still at Marinette's. I returned the box to my pocket and made my way out the school.  
I looked down to the drawing one more time, and felt a wave of emotions hit me at once. My head couldn't focus on one thought, my mind became scrambled. My mission, where to sleep, my feelings, my fear, my friends, my- my.. "I can't do this anymore!" I finally cried out. My body was burnt out. I was having a break down again. "I- I thought I didn't need anyone." I dropped to my knees, shaking my head. "I was wrong. I was so wrong. I..." I stopped myself clamping my eyes shut. I don't know how long i just sat there, counting my heartbeat. But when I heard the sound of laughter, I opened my eyes and raised my head. It was... My class. A group of students walking down the sidewalk. Most of them passed me, but someone began to approach. I pulled myself to my feet as the reached me. "What are you doing over here?" It was Nino who split from the group. I examined the group then looked back to him. "What's going on?" I wondered, doing my best to act like I was okay. It was working, because he didn't mention it.  
"It's time for the race. You're coming, right?"  
"I'm... Not sure." I crossed my arms. "I'm pretty busy." I wish. Maybe busy with going crazy.   
"Aw man, really? You seemed curious at lunch. Look-" He raised at item. "Brought my duck tape. You should totally join us."  
Not finding an excuse, I shrugged. "Fine. I guess." Nino grinned and waved a hand for me to follow. "Awesome! It's this way." He tossed the tape around his wrist and pulled something from his pocket. "I really hope this brightens the mood." He untwist the cap from a tiny bottle and pulled a bubble stick out. "Everyone's been pretty down since Cat Noir went missing." Blowing into it, Nino made a cluster of small bubbles. I almost forgot, "Adrian and you were pretty close, right? He hasn't been around either." I hope I was right about it. I think they were close. "How are you taking it?"  
"His old man is pretty strict. I bet he's just stuck at home. My boy Adrian wouldn't let himself be one of the missing students." He acted so carefree, but it was obvious in his voice that Nino was worried too. I wish I knew how to help, but he wasn't someone I could just hug at random. "Oh here we are." Up ahead, the group of students were preparing for the race. "Alright, I want a good, clean, match!" The teacher called above all the chatter, seeming to appear from nowhere. I don't remember seeing her in the group as they came by, so maybe she was waiting here. Ivan lowered himself to a running stance, and Kim stretched his legs out. "Piece of cake!" He laughed loudly. Ivan rolled his shoulders quietly, appearing annoyed at his opponent. "Place your bets here!" Alix waved a box around with a grin. Nino ran ahead, tossing his tape in it and clapping. A few other students put random junk inside. There was so much chatter and noise, I couldn't even hear myself think. At this point, I think it was a nice relief. I carefully joined in with the crowd and waited. The teacher spoke again. "Alright boys! You're going to go around the block three times and make your way back here. You must touch the school once on each lap as a challenge. If you don't, the lap won't count. Are you ready?"  
All the students cheered in unison. She let them go crazy a moment then yelled out. "On your mark! Get set!"  
The two boys tensed up.   
"Go!" Everyone yelled with the teacher, and they both took off.


	24. Chapter 23: Our Friends

"Go!" Everyone yelled at once and the two boys took off down the street. They kept pace with eachother until they vanished around the corner. The class went quiet and it seemed like a few minutes passed before they appeared again, Kim in the lead. "You can do it Ivan!" A girl's voice rose up while other kids yelled out various taunts or encouragement. I recognized Mylène behind the yelling. Kim grinned as he passed the school, raising out an arm and quickly tapping the wall. As Ivan came close, he chose to jump onto the stairs and run across those before returning to the sidewalk again. They didn't even give the group a glace as they vanished again, and once again, it was silent. When they appeared once more, the teacher was clapping and the students went wild, seeing Ivan tailing closer to first place.  
I let out a yawn, already bored. I didn't want to spend my time here at all, bu it felt like I didn't have much choice. Maybe I could sneak away? I backed up but I barely moved an inch before backing into another student. They pushed me forward and I couldn't stop myself from stumbling forward and falling forward. My body hit the ground and I felt a shot of pain through my arms. "Look out!" Someone yelled, suddenly yanking me to my feet. Just as I was lifted up, Kim ran right where my head was a moment ago, Ivan hitting the spot next. "T-Thank you." I could only stutter out, looking back to the person holding me. "No problem." Alya smiled, gently releasing her grip. I wobbled a bit but I was able to stand. "That wasn't okay." She glared to another person behind us. I followed her gaze to Sabrina, smiling as if nothing happened. She didn't even look to us. Was I really pushed by her? She was a small girl, looking smart and honestly, not very strong. But in class, it was obvious she wasn't the nicest person to be with.  
"It's no matter." I shrugged the thought of Sabrina away. "I'm okay, thanks to you."  
I heard Alya say something else, but I could't seem to make out her words. My head... I was feeling so heavy. An ear splitting headache suddenly hit me at full force. I tried to suck in a breath but my airway wouldn't allow it. I was getting dizzy. All these voices, I think i'm going to throw up. I hobbled to the school steps, a vain attempt to get away from the crowd. My vision became impaired, and I began to panic. What was happening to me? I wasn't hit that hard, it couldn't have been the fall. A bile started to rise, but before I could throw up, my knees buckled under me and everything went black.  
"She just.. Fainted?" I know that voice. I wanted to reach out to that voice, and know everything was okay, but I couldn't seem to move. Why couldn't I move? I couldn't call out to them, I couldn't even open my eyes.  
"Yeah. Do you think she'll be okay?" That was a girl. I knew her too.   
"Help." I wanted to cry out. My body was sore everywhere. But I could breathe. I heaved in heavily, feeling myself become lighter, I managed to open my eyes only to be welcomed with a bright light and closing them again.  
"I'll look after her. I hope she'll be alright."  
There was no more speaking, and I heard a door close before feeling whatever I was laying on being shifted with weight. A hand brushed some annoying strands of hair out of my face. I hadn't even realized they were tickling my nose until they were gone. "What's happening to you, (y/n)?" Someone whispered, a hint of worry in their voice. I wanted to tell them I didn't know, but I still didn't have the energy to speak. "I was wrong to leave you alone. I hope you'll forgive me."   
Leave me? No... You never left me. I didn't see you, hear you, but I know you didn't leave me. Right, Nathaniel? You're my friend. I'm sorry, this was all my fault. I wanted to open my mouth, I wanted to tell him everything.   
Because...  
You're not just a friend to me, are you?  
It doesn't matter what happens to me, I always seem to find my way back to you.   
I started to feel tired, but I refused to sleep just yet. The room was silent, but I could feel the couch move with each small movement he made. I opened my eyes again, seeing the light once again. It was so bright, it's like I was looking right at the sun. My lips were dry, I felt thirsty. That must be why I was having such trouble speaking. I managed to lick my lips and breath slowly once more before forcing out what I was able too. "W-Water." Was all I could say at the moment.   
"You're a-awake?" He stuttered in surprise and stood up. "Of course. One moment." The sounds of footsteps got lighter when I heard him leave the living room. How long had I been out? How much time did I loose?  
My consciousness began to slip away, and even thought I tried to cling to reality, my attempts were futile.   
I heard a soft voice, sounding from far away echo though my ears.  
"Your time is up."  
Was all I heard. My heart nearly stopped. My time? What's going on? I tried to scream out, tried to call them back as the voice disappeared, but I couldn't move. I wiggled my arms, pulled against an unseen force. A tight bind pulled my arms to my sides, and a thick cover was over my mouth. Whatever this was, I was being tied to the ground. I couldn't even move my legs. What was this? When was this put on me? I recognized this strange scene. A shadow started to approach slowly. I could only see shining eyes glaring down at me. "How do you like your meals?" A girl whispered, then chuckled. "Wrapped up?"  
July.  
I remember this. I was in July's position. It was me. I did all of this! I felt rage all of the sudden, not even listening to the last thing the shadow said. She leaned down and peeled the cover off my mouth. I didn't hesitate to lurch forward and try to bite at her, causing the shadow to jump back. Anger was pulsing through my veins, all I could see was a furious red. Then the shadow stopped and just stood there, watching me. She looked down to her wristband, her shining eyes lowered with worry. I struggled again, then I heard someone's voice call to me, breaking me from the scene.   
Before I knew it, I was laying down again, feeling just as exhausted as ever. My fury melted away at his voice as he returned. "Here. The water filter was empty so I had to fill it. Sorry I took so long."  
The blinding light dimmed to a simple light on the ceiling, and my surroundings came into view. I was indeed back at Nathan's house, right on the couch I had slept on. I pushed myself to a sit and saw him standing beside me, holding out a plastic cup. I only gave him a nod and accepted the water. When I took a drink and began to feel hydrated again, I let out a sigh. "Why am I here? What's going on? How long have I been asleep?" I had so many questions, I didn't know what to ask first. Nathan raised his arms like he was defending himself then smiled. "I'll explain what I know." He sat on the couch and began speaking. "I was on my home when Alya ran up to me. She said you weren't feeling well and passed out so she took me to the school, in case you're wondering, Kim won the race." He laughed quietly, but I could just shake my head. "I wasn't wondering."  
Nathan cleared his throat awkwardly and continued. "We called my mom and she picked all three of us up and brought you back here. You've only been out for about an hour. But you still don't look to good. Maybe you should stay here."  
At that, I quickly shook my head and attempted to struggle to my feet. "No, I can't stay here. I-I've lost too much time already. It's..." Should I tell him what happened just now? That dream I had... It felt so real. July... Is that what you were feeling? What happened to you that day? You were never an angry girl before, and yet, you were so murderous. I decided to keep it to myself. Nathan had enough stress already, I couldn't just dump this on him. My legs fell under me the moment I stood and he jumped up to catch me and help me back to the couch. I didn't need help.. I could have stood if I just.. "You're not ready yet. You need to sleep. I'll get you a blanket." Before I had a chance to complain, Nathan got up and hurried up the stairs, leaving me alone. God... I'm such a nuisance. I couldn't even stand on my own. I still don't know what happened to me, and now i'm going to loose a day. It's already Tuesday, and it'll be Wednesday when I wake up. With each day that passes, my worry grows more and more.   
It didn't take long for the red head to return with a large white blanket. He threw it over the couch with a small grunt and nodded. "Yup, this one is good." He grinned proudly.   
"I'm sorry, this must be so much trouble for you." I lowered my head into my hands and sighed. When he didn't reply, I frowned to myself. I was, wasn't I? Instead of speaking, he sat down beside me and I was suddenly hugged tightly, like I had done for him earlier. I couldn't help smiling instead, feeling tears start to well up. I wasn't sad. In fact.. I was so happy. "I-I need to..." I choked up. All my depression started to vanish until I could just think about all the good things that's happened to me. Meeting someone like Nathan was at the top of the list. "I have to tell you." I raised my hand and wiped my eye from oncoming tears. His grip loosened and he looked up curiously. "What is it?"  
I tried to find my words, feeling my heart go crazy with worry and anxiety. "I think.." I started, looking down to my lap. "Well, you've just done so much for me, I don't even know how to replay you. And I think..." I smiled sheepishly. "It's possible I.." Why couldn't I say it? I just wanted to tell him! He was sitting there patiently and I was a stuttering moron. I shook my head and took a breath once more before closing my eyes and just saying it. "It's possible I might have started to love you."


	25. Chapter 24: I Always Could

Did I really just say that? I can't believe I just said that. I closed my eyes and tried to avoid his gaze, despite him sitting right beside me. Then I heard a small laugh. He's making fun of me, isn't he? Why isn't he saying anything? I just admit my feelings and he laughs! I started to feel a little irritated, and finally shot him a glare. "What's so funny? Go ahead, say something. Make fun of me. I probably deserve it."   
Nathan smiled, then waved a hand, dismissing it quickly. "N-No that's not it." His cheeks grew a heated red as he spoke. "It's just, I kinda feel the same way, maybe?"  
My heart skipped a beat, and I dropped my head to look at my lap. "That's... Ridiculous. But... You like Marinette. It's so obvious. I'm not as cheerful or kind as her, and I get mad for no reason. She's so beautiful.. I-I.." I felt tears roll down my cheeks. "I'm not even worthy of being a shadow to her. Why would you even bother with me?" I began to choke up, holding back from crying. I don't understand my own feelings now. Why was I crying? I should be happy, right? "You guys would be perfect together... I saw how you look at her, and the day you wanted to talk to her alone, and how she was there when the akuma.." I trailed off. I didn't need to be reminded of it all. Nathan fell back into the couch and pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself. "Yeah.. I thought I did. She's amazing. But she's not for me. Haven't you seen?" He forced a calm smile. "She loves Adrian. I won't get in the way. Haven't you heard the saying? If you love them, let them go. As long as she's happy, i'm okay. And I have you after all."  
"So i'm just second best?" I narrowed my eyes in attempt to control my anger and let out a sigh.   
"N-No that's not it!" Nathan replied in a panicked voice. "I'm trying to say I don't need her, b-because I.." He paused and started to fidget with his hands. "It's because I love you. Really. All the time we've been together, it's important to me."  
"It's important to me too." I muttered out, letting myself lean against him quietly. "Can you promise me something?" I looked up to examine his face, gazing into his green eyes. Nathan nodded slowly. "Yeah. What is it?"  
"Protect yourself, okay?" I began. "It could get dangerous soon. So if it gets too bad, I want you to run and leave me there. I couldn't live with myself if I let another person I care about vanish. I can.. I can handle myself in a fight." I lied. Of course I couldn't in this state, but I needed him to promise. "So will you?"  
A worried look crossed his face, and he hesitated before giving me a slow nod.   
"Thank you." I closed my eyes and curled my legs up, embracing his warmth. A feeling of exhaustion hit me like a large wave and it didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

I felt... Normal? No weight, no hunger, no tiredness, I felt... Strong again. I missed this, how I used to feel before all of this began. "Viperfang?" I heard a familiar voice. A giggle replied. "Yes Nightstar?"  
I looked around wherever I was. I remembered this. All around me were buildings I have seen before. Was this a memory or a dream? Two shadows ran passed me and disappeared into smoke. I have been here before, but something about this place didn't feel right. It felt so dreary and depressing. This used to be such a lively place, but now it just felt dark. Not a single person was on the streets, everything had a Gothic feel to it. Even the sky was a thick gray, despite the warmth shining through, telling me it was day. What happened to this place? I heard a gentle wind blow past, carrying whispering voices with it.  
"You've never used your power."  
"Yeah, so?"  
"What is it?"  
"That's a secret."

I started walking forward, not in any particularity direction. When I followed the wind, I could hear the voices.  
"Why can't you tell me?"  
"It's super strong. If I played with it, it would take a long time to recharge."  
"How long?"  
"I dunno. But it'll take longer than just feeding Ibbi."  
"That does sound long."

 

Viperfang's power. I could control dreams, and make them a reality, but I never saw hers. She never needed to use it. She never showed me, and that was her special secret.  
"But it doesn't matter. With the two of us, we'll be so strong, we'll never even need it."  
"Yeah! We can protect Laybug and Noir in the shadows and still be the most awesome heroes of Paris!"  
"That's right."  
The voices started to vanish, and I began to panic. "W-Wait for me!" I tried to cry out, but it went silent, and I found myself lost. Where should I go now?  
"Go away!"  
Someone cried from another direction. "Hello?" I peered into the darkness but nobody was there.  
"Go away!" They repeated. It sounded like a man. I changed directions and began to follow this voice. With each step, it seemed like it got darker and darker.   
"You're done!" Someone screamed out just then, making me stop in my tracks.  
"I've been defeated." The man sounded weak.  
I see now, this is a memory too. It's... The day Doctor Death vanished.   
"Please, let me go now. I'm sorry. I-I'm so sorry."  
"Leave now. And don't return." Viperfang's voice hissed.   
I didn't hear myself, because I never spoke. Even after all the battles we had, when this happened, I only felt pity for him. I had been watching quietly the whole time. When the scene vanished, I found myself in the darkness. I was dark, and cold. Was there going to be another scene?  
Just when I thought that was it, I heard something. Something that pulled me forward into the dark, the emptiness. Was this a nightmare? I wasn't sure just yet. It felt like someone was trying to speak to me, but I couldn't hear. Maybe... If I got closer, it would become clear. I tried to stay as quiet as possible, even holding my breath. A small gust of wind pushed me forward, but it didn't carry any voices this time. I just kept walking when I finally hear a whisper. "(y/n)."  
"Yes?" I thought, making sure I didn't speak and miss something said.  
"(y/n)." My name was spoken again, more urgently.  
I don't remember this. This wasn't a memory, so what was this?

"(y/n), please." More gentle now, I felt comfort in the voice. I wanted to follow it. Then I heard another voice of a girl coming from another direction.  
"(y/n)." She cooed. "(y/n), sleep. Sleep now, i'm here for you." The voice was calling to me, making me want to pull away from my current path. "It's going to be okay." She whispered. "You must sleep. i'm here for you." She repeated again. I looked into the darkness from the first voice, then in the direction it wanted me to go. Where do I go? I couldn't just stay here. The first voice called again. "(y/n), I need you. You can't sleep." This one was more urgent, but I wanted to follow it. I shook my head and continued down the dark road, ignoring the girl's voice. The voices went silent, then suddenly there was a burst of light. I had to cover my eyes and turn around just to assure I wasn't blinded.   
Then I felt warm, but I once again felt tired and hungry. My shoulders felt tight, as as my surroundings came into place, I realized someone was gripping me tightly and trying to shake me up. I opened my eyes and quickly jumped up, pushing the person back. "W-What's going on?"   
Nathan stumbled back, falling into the table with a painful grunt. "Sorry." I shook my head. He looked frightened, pulling himself back up. "That's not important. Look outside." He hurried to the curtains and threw them open. Almost immediately, a flash of blue light lit up in the street. "What was that?" I quickly turned to him. Nathan bit his lip and gripped on the curtain. "I-It's.. I don't know. There was suddenly an attack. People are vanishing by the minute."  
Vanishing.  
The blue light.  
They're... Dying?  
No way.   
This can't be it. I can't be out of time! I'm supposed to have a couple days left! I've barely done anything!  
"I think this is it. J-July.. She's.."  
"She's here." He finished for me. "I know. You were only sleeping for a couple hours but then this started happening. I-I don't know what to do." When I looked over to Nathan, he was shaking uncontrollably, eyes wide in fear. What do I say to him? What do I do? Is there anything I even can too?  
I always thought I was prepared for this, but now that it's here, I was scared out of my mind. 

I heaved a sigh and quickly wrapped him in a last hug, just in case I can't make it out of this. "Stay inside. I have to do this alone."  
"Alone?" I heard Nathan whisper. "Why? I thought we were supposed to be there to help eachother."   
I closed my eyes, close to tears. I was terrified out of my mind...   
"Because i'm the only one with a kwami now. I'm the only one who CAN." When I pulled away, I gave him a smile before heading to the door. "You promise, right? You'll protect yourself."   
I looked to him, only seeing a glare in his eyes. I wanted to say sorry, but it was the only choice I had to keep him safe. I opened the door and slipped outside. It was quiet now. Everyone had gone, and July passed.. Where would she have gone? And if she was on this side of town, was she looking for me? I started down the sidewalk, carefully looking around. As I walked, I pulled the small box from my pocket and slipped my wristband around my arm. "Aright guys, I think this is it."  
"We're on your side, (y/n)." Ibbi was the first to reply.  
"I'm ready. Just say the word when you want us." Kiwwi spoke quietly, almost sounding like an echo. The two kwamis were so tired, they didn't even bother leaving the band. How powerful would I even be in my suit? Some long hair fell over my shoulders and tickled my cheeks. I shook my head but it didn't do much. "July!" I yelled into the silence. Of course, there wasn't a reply.


	26. Chapter 25: It Never Left

Why did I think a call was going to work anyway? I was wandering aimlessly around the streets of Paris, and only silence welcomed me. Everyone had vanished, either from vanishing or hiding, I was the only one here now. It was dark, just like my dream. Except, even thought it looked light out, it might as well been dark. The sound of a car alarm was in the distance, the only sound I could hear at all. I found myself wandering towards the Town Hall, and I opened my mouth again. "Arachnophobia!" I cried at the top of my lungs. "It's me you want, isn't it!?"   
Is she looking for me? Coming to finish the job after Viperfang? Where was she? It was barely a minute before she left the street I was on, so she couldn't have gone far.   
I felt a stirring in my chest, knowing the feeling all too well, I spoke to myself. "I'm being watched." I turned around quickly, but nothing was there. All around me, I was alone for sure. It... Was just my imagination.  
"Sleep." I heard a voice in my head, urging me, then I began to feel tired. I tried to shake off the feeling, only letting out a yawn. I couldn't get tired now, let my guard down when I was looking for an enemy. Not unless I wanted to end up dead. 

"Tell me Nightstar." Someone began speaking from an unknown place. It was hard to pinpoint where they were, the voice sounded from everywhere. "What substance was used as a moderator for the chain reaction in the first nuclear reactor?"  
A quiz? "What kind of question is this? Show yourself!"   
A laugh replied. "(y/n) (y/n) (y/n) haven't you been studying? You don't get what you want out of life unless you're educated. So try again."  
How would I possibly know the answer to this? This is ridiculous! I let out a bothered groan and tapped my foot in thought. "I don't remember hearing about this. I don't-"  
"Graphite" Suddenly a reply was voiced behind me. I didn't even have to turn around. "I thought you promised to stay inside." I closed my eyes. "I never said that. I promised to run if it got too dangerous. That was your own assumption." Nathan stepped up to my side. "And I figured you could use my help."  
"You're smart." July hissed. "Let's try this on." She cleared her throat. "What do you produce by adding Lactobacillus Bulgaricus to milk?"   
"Yogurt, of course." Nathan smiled, crossing his arms proudly.   
I heard her make a small growling noise. "What kind of poisoning is known as plumbism?" She didn't hesitate to blurt out another question which Nathan didn't have a problem answering. "It's lead poisoning."   
"The principle behind a breeder reactor is what?"  
I looked to him again, but this time, he had a confused look on his face. "You.. Know this, right?" I asked slowly. The boy looked down and lowered his eyebrows as he thought. Will all the things he knew, this one should be easy, right? But he didn't speak, and I started to get worried. "N-Na-"  
"I don't know." He interrupted. "I don't know this one. I-I'm sorry I-" He shook his head and took a step back. "I feel like I should know but I don't and-"  
"Fool!" July spat. Everything went silent for a moment, then from the shadows, I saw a figure emerge. So this was it? Was she going to fight me?  
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. So weak, so helpless. And you have two miraculous on you. How could I possibly pass up this chance?" She smiled, showing herself completely. She still looked the same as when I saw her last. Her short blonde hair, steam punk golden goggles, tough armor spider suit, and of course, the blade legs, swaying back and fourth. "You were meant to die that day." She narrowed her eyes. "I wanted you. You have no idea what you did by letting Viperfang die instead." She clenched her fists. "I'll give you time to change, for a fair fight. But this is between us, you hear me?"  
I gave a nod and lowered my eyes to my wristband. "Alright guys, I need you now." I raised my hand in the air a took a breath before yelling out. "Kiwwi, take flight!"   
The wristband lit up, ribbons of color melted out of the bracelet. Green, black, yellow, blue, red, they spun around like a tornado, making their way up my arm and leaving the suit while they passed. I closed my eyes when the ribbons went around my head then I felt my skin wrapped tightly. I was honestly worried to see myself. Both Ibbi and Kiwwi were here now, fighting with me. I couldn't let them down. "Alright." I let my gaze lock onto July. "I'm ready now. Give it your all." I set a hand on Nathan's shoulder and gave him a nod. We didn't have to exchange words to understand. He needed to stay back, and I needed to fight. I took a few steps towards the spider girl, and she took a few steps at me. Then she suddenly whipped up her arm and shot webbing at me. I ducked in time and retaliated by grabbing a stone and throwing it. She held up her hands the the stone measly bounced off. I needed to get closer to use my claws. How could I get closer without her attacking me? She shot another web, then spun her armor around as if resetting a revolver and aimed towards me. Of course, loading time. I could get closer then!  
"You can't even aim!" I taunted. She grit her teeth, shooting another I managed to swiftly dodge. I wasn't going to reveal that I was already getting tired, but it seemed to be working. July moved in closer, raising her arm again. "Can't aim, can I? Just watch me! You'll be my prey soon enough."

 

Another web came flying at me. I slipped to the side but I was a moment too late and a string caught my cape. Luckily I avoided most of it, but this would still be a problem. I gripped the web and pulled against it as hard as I could. I heard a pop and tossed the string aside. She aimed again, this time, moving to spin the armor again to reload. Alright, i'll take this chance. I jumped forward and kicked my leg into her. The armor was too strong, and I ended up slipping and falling into her instead. A hand grabbed my neck and pulled me back until I was looking straight into July's shining blue eyes. "Isn't so easy without your partner, is it?" She sneered before throwing me to the ground. Pain shot through my body, but I pushed myself up anyway. "Y-You won't defeat me." I glared her down, reaching for my cape. My hair no longer braided, I needed to be careful not to let it get in my way. I spun around, raking my claws towards her. She jumped back and aimed again.   
If we kept repeating moves, this would go on forever. I think it's time for a change. I dropped to the ground when she shot then while dragging myself back up, reached out and grabbed her foot. Her armor was full of cracks and thin lining, it was no problem to hook a claw around a vulnerable spot on her leg in a few moments then when I stood up, I gave a tug, pulling her back until July lost balance and stumbled back. It wasn't enough to make her fall in such a heavy suit, but it was enough to daze her momentarily. She shook her head and spun her armor again. I ducked to the left, unhooking her while I made my dodge.  
After shooting again, she let out an angry growl. "Enough of this!" Her voice roared. She dropped her arm to her side but relief was short lived when her blade legs snapped together like a hungry beast. I hurried to run away as quick as I could, and was forced to change my plan. I couldn't fight close range with those after me. I learned once already recently how horrible those could be. "Ohh (y/n)." July cooed with a smirk. "I've made a few upgrades myself. After a little snake girl showed me how strong it could be, I decided to get some venom of my own." She set a hand on her chest, then slid her fingers to the left, revealing a pocket filled with green liquid hidden behind her plates. "This pouch of recluse venom is enough to kill an adult man. Special tubes run down under my suit. All it takes is a little tap-" She demonstrated by using her pinkie to tap the glass. The green liquid bubbled up in response. "And venom travels through my suit to my many legs, coating them in a deadly poison. What do you think?" She cackled. "Oh who am I kidding? You won't live to enjoy it for very long anyway! But the boy-" She raised an eyebrow. "He's going to watch you die, isn't he? My powers will be spread around the city then." She suddenly jumped forwards. I panicked and a light flashed in my eyes. Was I going to die here? I shut my eyes, but the pain never came. I feared opening my eyes. What was I going to see? Did she vanish? Did I die and not feel it? I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my skin. The pain told me I still lived and stood then.. What...?  
I raised my head, feeling my heart race so fast, it began to miss beats. This... It can't be... "You... You idiot!" I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. "Why would you jump in the way!"  
Even July seemed baffled, her sharp legs digging into him, releasing the poison. Nathan held onto the legs, shaking in fear, in pain, I wasn't sure which he was feeling more of. "I-It's because I wanted to protect you." He stuttered. Blood dripped down his clothes, pooling around his feet at an alarming amount.   
"Now you're going to die." I whispered, grabbing a handful of his jacket. "This wasn't supposed to happen. Now i'm going to loose you too."  
He didn't speak, and slowly, he began to glow blue. I began to panic, trying to pry the legs off but suddenly, he was just gone.   
July looked to the ground, then back to me. "How unfortunate. But at least you're going to die together." She reached out for me. I jumped back, raising my hand again. I don't think so! I won't die! "With the flight of my colony, I call upon my miraculous! Kiw-" I didn't get a chance to finish. My throat filled with bile, and I felt liquid start to drip down my legs. The pain came last, hitting me all at once, as if I had been numb for a moment. I lowered my eyes to see the prongs deep into my stomach. After all this time... After all this fighting.... I was going to die in the end. July held a frown though, and she looked me in the eyes gently. "I'm sorry." She muttered. "It was the only option. Just remember something." She leaned out and set a hand on my shoulder. "When you get there, don't hesitate, don't hold back, and don't be afraid." She pulled back, letting the legs fall out. Then everything started to get blurry. Blue covered my eyes and I started to feel sick. Was I going to die now?


	27. Chapter 26: Just Stay Brave

Was I dead? I felt alone, and I felt cold. I had to be dead, right? My body couldn't move. I felt... Numb. Wasn't I dead? I was supposed to be dead, but I felt... I couldn't explain it. I didn't feel right. I tried to open my eyes, and when I got my eyelids open, the rest of my body began to relax. I twitched my fingers, I could wiggle my toes. It was bleak and dark everywhere I looked. Was this another dream? The last thing I remember was vanishing, so does that mean I was where the missing students went? I twisted my arm and pushed myself to sit on my knees, then stretched out my arms. It felt nice, as if I had been sleeping for a hundred years. But all the same, I felt... refreshed. I couldn't explain it. But if I was where the missing students went... "Marinette!" I called out. "Adrian!" I looked around into the emptiness of the streets. "Nathan!"  
I struggled to stand, only wobbling for a second then getting my footing. My eyes were pulled to look at the sky, and I could see, wherever I was, it wasn't normal. "Since when was the sky green?" I blinked, then scanned wherever I was. The area was vaguely familiar but I didn't know it well. A street light flickered on the sidewalk. In fact, every street was lined with them, but all were off, leaving the area dark. When I got closer, another light began to flicker, and the same thing happened to the one after. It's like it was leading me somewhere. I looked ahead to wherever I was going, then smiled. "Is that the school?" I changed into a jog, quickly realizing I wasn't being pulled down any more. I was free to move as I wish! But another thing wasn't right. As I ran, I realized I was missing something important. I ran my hand over the back of my neck, finding a lot of my hair was missing. I plucked a strand and brought it to my face. Yeah, just my own hair. What happened to Samantha's? I went to speak to the wristband to find it was missing as well. Actually, now that I thought about it, those were missing when I got up. What's going on here? Was this a dream back to before I met Viperfang? It was plausible I suppose.   
"You aren't supposed to be here. But you never listen to orders.. Do you?" A voice came from towards the school.   
"Who's there?" I slowed down and tried to peer through a fog.  
"All this time, you've been playing. And now it's too late. If you had taken my orders and just... Not woken up, this wouldn't have happened."  
What are they talking about? Not woken up? "I don't understand. Show yourself. What's going on here?"  
"Allow me to start from the beginning."  
The fog began to shift and change, parting from right atop the school. I could see a figure at the top, but it was hard to make out. 

 

"(y/n), you were the hero of this story. I made you my main character, everything that's happened to you has been written in these pages." The figure tossed something down. I backed up and held up my arms to block but it fell right in front of me. I looked down to a ragged book that looked, familiar... "This is that book I saw in the library. 'We Are One'. W-Why is it here?"  
"I put a charm on it, so you could avoid it, but you found it anyway, you moron." The voice grew more harsh. "The people of Paris needed a beacon of hope to look up too and give them strength. But I wonder..." They trailed off. "What would happen if I took that hope? And had it fall to her knees!" The figure jumped off the building and hit the ground with a thud. I could barely see through the fog as they came closer. "If their hope falls, the city itself would fall. Nobody would fight back. Nobody would believe in you. So I MADE you their hope, and now i'm going to take it away."  
My hands grew sweaty, and the moment I looked upon their face, I felt so many emotions wrapped in one, I could hardly breath. "V-Viperfang. No... Samantha. You're... Y-You.."  
"I'm alive?" She finished with a grin. "Yes. I never died. You see (y/n), I never died, and you were never a hero. It was all a fantasy you couldn't wake up from, until now."  
She paused to examine my face, then sighed. "I should explain before I kill you. It's the least I could do." She turned around and began speaking. "I created the world you've been in for two years. After I saw you attack my brother so viciously, I knew you would be the perfect hero to give the people hope. But first, I had to be with you to make sure you got stronger, to give more hope to the people. But once I knew you were ready, I had to exit the dream world. And do you know what the only way to do that is?" She questioned slowly.  
The only way? That had to be.. "You have to be killed, don't you?" I replied in an almost monotone feel.   
"Correct." She giggled. "So I had to vanish and give that annoying spider time to break free. Once she attacked you, I knew I would have to step in and take the fall. Of course, it's normally impossible, but since I made the world, I could bend it as I please. All I had to do was transfer your injuries to myself."  
"You bent it? I don't get it." I stepped closer. "What exactly did you do?"  
"Silly silly, you never noticed?" She tilt her head, long hair falling over her shoulder. "I was there all along. Holding you down. After all, if you figured it all out too fast, I wouldn't have had time to take over the city and force everyone into one big dream. I made you light, I made you heavy, I sent you your dreams, the only connection I had to the dream world once I left was the book. So as long as it lived on inside the fake world, I could play however I wanted." She laughed again. "The moment we met, I put you to sleep. an you know what that means?" She raise an eyebrow. When I didn't reply, Samantha narrowed her eyes. "That means... We never actually met. You don't really know me. My dream self was not me. So stop acting all surprised. It was all a dumb act!" Her voice raised suddenly, then she sighed and calmed down. "By altering the dream world, I managed to prolong your investigation. I thought I would have to end my ruling early when you found the cat. But I managed to wipe his memory so you'd never find him. It worked good, no?" 

Was this really happening? All this time... I was being sabotaged by someone I thought was my friend? I couldn't believe it. My mind... It felt like I was breaking more and more every moment I laid my eyes on her. Her long brown hair reached down her back, and a green dress dragged behind her. She was.. Beautiful really. I can't believe all this time... It's been nothing but a dream. "I still don't understand." My voice cracked. Samantha crossed her arms, a sly grin over her face. "You still don't get it, do you? I told you. All this time, this was to give the people hope. And those who still rest have seen their hope destroyed before their very eyes. But I admit, the hardest thing to recreate in the world was the akumas. Hawkmoth's power exceeds my own, so trying to make the villains was bothersome. So I only made then for the people I thought were important for example. Just like my idiot brother." She frowned, shaking her head. "It's always sister this, sister that. Just shut up!" She stomped her foot, and I heard the sound of heels clapping against the ground. "I never cared for him one bit. I never cared for anyone. Especially you."   
When she looked over to me, I felt my heart melt away. Viperfang... Samantha... I loved you. You were my only friend... Before all this.  
"How does that make you feel?" She suddenly whispered, moving closer. "Does it rot your insides? Will you give up now? Everything you've done has been pointless."  
I felt my legs giving out before me, and I crumbled to my knees. "Why are you doing this?" I forced out. "What do you have to gain from all this?"  
"Nothing in the slightest." She replied with a small giggle. "It's my own entertainment. When I saw you jump into battle unarmed just to protect people, I knew my fun would begin." She lowered herself, then set a hand on my head. It was... Almost comforting until she grabbed a handful of my hair. "You were strong enough to become a hero for Paris. Now watch them crumble as their hero falls to her knees!"  
"You can't do this!" I cried out. I understood everything just then. Kiwwi and Ibbi never existed. They were... Just a distraction. A fake made in a dreamworld. Samantha herself... She's the one with the dream powers. This isn't the girl I knew and loved. She's been corrupted into a monster. Twisted until she didn't know which path to go down. Which voice did you follow Samantha? Were you led astray? Her eyes glowed a bright green, and I could see a thin necklace around her neck, black as the night. She's been Akuma-tized?   
I would have to fight her without any powers, wouldn't I?  
"Can't I?" She released me and tilt her head. "You never had a power. You were never a caped hero in the darkness. You were always nothing. Your power was a lie. But everyone here will see you fall now. Are you ready too fight me? You will die, and your death will plague this city into ruin. That's all I want."  
Everyone? I didn't see anyone. I thought we were alone but after she said that, figures began to step into view. I recognized a few of them. Alya, looking almost dead with a black mask, her clothes had been altered with a wifi sign over her chest, and a phone hung limply in her hand. Chloe dressed just like L:adybug with inverted colors. I looked over the crowd of akumatized students, my eyes landing on one that almost made my heart wrench. For them to wake up, they needed to be killed, so this really was Nathan, looking just as dead as the others, and dressed in villain's clothes. I couldn't see Marinette or Adrian among them. Samantha looked where I was, then back to me. "Ah yes, all these students. Your classmates, correct? Of course, Marinette and Adrian couldn't make it. I have something special in mind for them. She raise out a gloved hand and presented pieces of jewelry out. "Their miraculous. I could turn them in now, but then I wouldn't have my fun. So let's make a deal." She took a few steps back. "If you win, i'll GIVE you the miraculous. And if you loose, the city will be destroyed."   
"You did all of this... Just to control these people with despair?" I began to push myself back up.   
Samantha clicked her tongue. "Not sadness. Despair. A whole city is so much easier to control when nobody has the courage to fight back, don't you think? And they're all going to loose that emotion once they see their beloved hero bleeding at their feet." She approached Alya and raised the girl's hand for a moment. My friend blinked, life returning to her eyes, then swiped the screen, releasing a camera sign. All around me, screens appeared with my face on it. "No more chatter now. You can't win this time. I am your enemy now. Attack!" The fog vanished and Samantha was atop the school again. I looked towards the students, each one was returning to life again, their eyes angry, and they began to approach.


	28. Chapter 27: The End

Rose ran at me first, her teeth grit. "Feel my power!" She cried out, spraying a sickly perfume. I covered my nose with my arm and kicked her back. The girl fell to her butt. I may not have my costume anymore, but I wasn't being controlled anymore. I could do this! I won't give up!   
"Tear her apart my minions! She can't win against all of you!"  
Alya suddenly threw something at me. I prepared to duck but it didn't have the chance to hit me when a glass wall blocked it. Nathan laughed from the side. "I'll be the one to defeat you. I'll have all the glory. Just stay still!" He flipped his pen in his hands and began to sketch on a tablet attached to his arm. "N-No!" I tried to yell. "Don't you remember me?!" I don't know what I was doing. He probably wouldn't listen in his state... But... I have to try! "Didn't you promise me?"  
I saw him pause for a moment and look up with a frown. He didn't speak, but someone suddenly pushed him to the ground. "You're a fool." Kim scoffed. "Don't you know feelings put you in last place? You shouldn't have hesitated. It's my turn now!" He used a pair of large wings to lift himself off the ground then loaded a bow. I tensed up, then when he released an arrow, I jumped away, falling right into someone's arms. "Are you having fun?" A voice chuckled. I pulled away from his tight grip, looking towards Nino. "No?" He frowned for a moment then smirked. "You can watch all the fun from the sky then." He held out a large bubble stick. I pushed him back and started running. I don't know where I would run, but I couldn't fight then all off. There has to be another way.

"Trap her!" Samantha yelled from atop the school. A shadow suddenly fell over me, and I began to have a bad feeling. Don't... Don't turn around. Don't... I slowly turned around. I couldn't even see the top of it. A huge pyramid behind me. A robotic voice spoke from inside. "You're just a noob to me. My power far exceeds yours. Allow me to demonstrate." I recognized that voice from within. "I-Is that you Max?" I took a few steps back.   
"That's not my name!" The voice suddenly snapped. 'I. Am. Gamer!" I prepared to dodge again but he didn't have time to attack. The pyramid vanished and I looked straight ahead to a girl in pink. In fact, two girls in pink. Was I seeing double.   
"That doesn't look good on you." The first girl muttered. The second looked down at her hands, confused and angry. "W-What did you do to me, Reflekta! My powers! My robot!" Max turned to the first. It couldn't be. "Juleka?" I asked her name. She looked up in response then rolled her eyes. "Anyone looking like that must be fixed up. Let me give you a make-over." She held out her hand. "Just one touch and you'll stand out, just like me. The cameras won't be able to tear away from you."  
Juleka was quickly pulled to the ground from an invisible force. "Who's there?" I stepped back. I heard footsteps approaching, and a small laugh.  
"Don't you recognize me, (y/n)? Or are you just like all the rest who don't see me!" A girl screamed out from in front of me. "You can't protect yourself, if you can't see your threat." A cage dropped down before me, locking in whoever was there. I looked where Nathan was pulling himself up, an angry glare in his eyes. "Didn't you hear me the first time Sabrina? I'm going to defeat her." He looked to the invisible girl in the cage.  
Something raced past me just then, cackling. "Run all you want." A girl slowed down, and I could get a good look at her. Roller blades on her feet, a helmet over her head, but I quickly noticed who she was. "A-Alix!" I called her name. She smirked, moving forward. "Try to run but I already know all the moves you're going to make! Nothing you can do will stop me. You're all mine!"  
"Thank you!" I quickly called out. If it worked at least a little with Nathan... Maybe I just had to talk to them. I couldn't take them all on. But like this, I have a chance.  
She appeared confused. "What for? I did nothing for you."" She clenched her fists. I shook my head. "No that's wrong. I wanted to tell you before but I never had the chance. Thank you for everything!" I closed my eyes. "When I was in the hospital, you sent me the cookie that filled my stomach. You were kind to me. So thank you!"   
She appeared almost baffled, her tense body relaxed as she let her guard down. "It's no problem." Alix grinned and held up a thumbs up. Just then, her whole body shone a dazzling blue. Was she going to disappear? But when the glowing stopped, she looked like her normal self again. Of course she wouldn't have. This isn't a dream after all. I think I can do this now. I know I can! Alix looked down at herself, then backed up a little and turned to run away. She vanished around a corner, and I looked back to all the other bad guys coming for me. A large pink monster roared, baring its sharp teeth. Strange colored hair on it reminded me of another student. I hope I was right about this. "Is that you Mylène?" I spoke louder. The monster narrowed all three of it's eyes, ooze dripping from it's mouth. I was shaking, but I couldn't let it hold me back. It may have all been a dream, but I protected Paris once as a hero, and I can do it again as a normal person. "Why do you want to hurt me!" I tried to sound sad. "You helped me before! You were there at the hospital too!"   
I felt large vibrations in the ground, and moved out of the way as large rock monster ran to tackle me.   
"Don't let her words ruin what you're meant to do! She's a nobody! I am your leader!" Samantha's voice bellowed. The rock monster slammed into the school and fell, unconscious. At least that buys me some time to try to help some others. I looked back to the oozing monster, etching closer. There was doubt in her eyes but that didn't stop her. "You wanted to volunteer at the hospital to help those in need. You want to help people. I know it! You don't want to do this!"   
Mylène lowered her head, then grinned, revealing her large teeth, but her body began to glow blue and shrink until what stood before me was a short girl. "Y-You're right." She looked down at her hands. "I can't be afraid anymore." She gave me a kind smile then hurried away.   
"Fools! You're all fools!" Samantha spat. "Whoever defeats her will rule the city beside me!"  
The villains all suddenly went wild, yelling and pushing eachother. Something flashed from the corner of my eye and I ducked just in time to avoid a large pause button. "Stay still." Alya smirked, coming closer. "Imagine the headline when I destroy you."  
"Alya." I began speaking again. She swiped her phone, shooting out another pause, completely ignoring my call. The screens around me all depicted the live action, being broadcast all over the city. I looked around to each screen, then gave her a smile. "Didn't you hear Alya?" I asked. The girl stopped walking and gave me a confused look. "What are you talking about?"  
"Marinette is alive. It's just as I said. She's alive and around here somewhere." I began to move towards her. "You've done so much for me, I don't even know how to thank you. Even if it was all a dream, you didn't stop caring for me. It's my turn to care for you now." I held out my hand, standing right before her. Alya looked down at my gesture then smiled, grabbing my hand tightly. She began to light up blue, just like the others then returned to normal, giving me a smile. "You're right." She nodded.  
The broadcast screens all vanished, and I saw another bad guy running at me. "All work and no play makes (y/n) a boring girl!" Nino yelled out, waving his bubble stick. "You too!" I held out my hand again. Alya watched me curiously, gripping my hand. "You were afraid weren't you?" I spoke to Nino. "That Adrian wasn't coming back. But you don't have to be! Once I win, you'll see him again! You have to trust me!"  
He stopped running, a fearful look in his eyes, then he blinked and came closer. "I'll hold you to that." The boy grabbed my other hand and started to glow too. His strange costume melted away and he stood beside me, normal again. "Don't have too much fun." Nino grinned looking to Alya. The two students paired up and hurried away together.  
"Sickening." Kim spat. "You think you can win this with friendship." I moved my gaze to him, flying in the air. "You haven't even tried to fight. Well, i'll just make sure you can't win that way!" He loaded his bow and pointed it at me. "I learned the hard way that love is pointless. It's about time you learned too." I looked around me, the villains left were beginning to surround me and block any direction of escape. "You're wrong." I stared Kim down. "I wouldn't have made it as far as I did without my friends. it's okay to make bonds." I nodded. "You just have to find the right ones. And sometimes it takes a little while. But you'll find them. I promise."   
My gaze flicked to Samantha for a moment before looking back to him. "And now I have to protect mine. So will you help me?"  
Kim lowered his bow and looked around for a moment in thought, then he sighed and float himself to the ground. "I suppose you're right." He began to light up blue, returning to his original self and ran away from the battle. With all the villains surrounding me, I began to panic a little. "You make me wish I never met you." Chloe hissed. "Out of this entire class, nobody has been more incompetent than you."  
"Then teach me." I turned to her. "You helped me once before. You could have laughed at me, but you gave me the comb. You can't teach me to be better if you destroy me."  
Doubt flashed in her eyes, and she huffed. "No, I suppose not. But why should I bother with you? Look at yourself. You're hardly worth it."  
"We all start from somewhere. With you as my teacher, I know i'll be as fabulous as you one day."  
She grinned, nodding. "Yeah, you're right. Nobody is a better teacher for fashion than moi." She giggled. Chloe began to shine blue, and in a second, she returned to herself. The girl looked around to the others and frowned. "Ugh, I have a lot of work to do with them. Maybe daddy can hire an assistant." She let out an annoyed huff and strut away. "Oh who am I kidding? Not even an assistant can help those guys." She muttered as she left.  
Just then, someone jumped at me, their hands out to grab me. I ducked just in time and then hit the ground painfully. "Y-You can't escape me." Juleka struggled to her feet.  
"That's enough!" Samantha suddenly yelled. All the villains froze in place and turned to her. My old friend jumped off the school and landed swiftly. "Apparently I can't count on any of you weaklings to stop a nobody like her. So I have to do it on my own."  
Everyone backed away and made a path for her to reach me.

I was shaking. I couldn't stop myself. I could stop the people she was controlling, but without my powers, how could I defeat her. My heart was racing a million miles an hour, but i've gotten this far. Just.. A little more. She stepped up right in front of me, looking me in the eyes. I felt her breath on me, I could see anger in her eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, then she reeled back and threw a punch. Pain radiated through my stomach, and I recoiled. I swallowed, trying not to vomit, but I couldn't keep myself standing and fell. "Weak. Weak. So weak!" She growled, kicking my side. "You couldn't even try to fight me!" She stepped back. "Look at you. Lying on the ground like a dog. Just where you belong."  
No. I wasn't going to let her win like this. I started to get up, and she kicked me down again. I started to feel dizzy, my stomach aching in pain. But I tried again, pushing myself up.   
"Why won't you stay down!" She grabbed a handful of my shirt and dragged me up. "Don't you understand yet? There's no more hope. You need to die now then the city will belong to me!"  
She suddenly threw me aside and I hit the ground painfully. I could feel bruises growing on me, but I won't fight back. I'm going to find another way. I began to struggle again, and Samantha let out a roar of anger. I locked my eyes onto her, and wait until she approached. Throw me, hit me, kick me, I wasn't going to give up.  
She reached out again, then something grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. I took the chance to get back onto my feet. I saw behind her, one if the villains- Not just anyone. Nathan breathed a sigh, lowering his pencil. Attached to Samantha's arm was a ball and chain, keeping her from moving.  
"You traitor!" She screamed out. "I own you! Release me!" She pulled against it but the ball didn't move. Nathan frowned. "Y-You're wrong." He approached her. "I was never on your side. You may control our bodies, but our minds belong to us. I made a promise back in your world, but i'm sticking to it."  
His body began to glow blue, and when it vanished, he stood before me, normal again. But the ball also disappeared, along with Sabrina's cage and the glass wall.  
Samantha started walking towards him, fury in her eyes.  
"That promise.." He looked to the ground. "It was that I would always stand with (y/n) and protect her. And she'd do the same for me. S-So-"

She grabbed his jacked and tossed him aside as though he was as light as paper. I suddenly felt anger flaming in my heart. I couldn't seem to control it. "Y-You..." I started, clenching my fists. "I lost him once. And I won't loose him again." I jumped at Samantha, grabbing a hold of her arm, she twisted around and tried to hit me again, but I dug my fingers into her skin harder and harder. I only felt anger in my heart just then. "You won't hurt anyone I care about every again!"   
"(y/n)!" My name was called. I turned back to Nathan, pulling himself up. "I-I'm okay! Don't let yourself be controlled again. That's exactly what she wants!"  
He... He was right. I released Samantha and backed away. 

"Sister!" I heard a call. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Not him." She shook her head and turned. I followed her gaze, seeing the man approaching slowly. "What are you doing?" He asked with a gentle smile. "I finally found you." There was a cloud in his eyes as he approached. "All this time, I found you."  
"Carrie." She hissed his name. "I threw you in that world because you would have gotten in my way. How did you get out?"  
"You made a mistake." He replied, making closer. "You put July in that world to ensure your escape. But she betrayed you, didn't she? She's still there, waking everyone up. You've lost, sister. Give up now."  
Street lights suddenly began to flash on, lighting up the streets and revealing a crowd of people surrounding us, along with the freed students.   
"You can't beat me." Samantha took a step back. "It doesn't matter how many people wake up. I still win. I could put you all back in that world again and erase your memories. You'd all start over. Stay back now.. I'm warning you."   
She suddenly smiled. "Oh of course, I have the miraculous, don't I?" She opened her hand, then picked up the ring.   
"No!" Alya suddenly cried out.   
It was too late... She slipped it on her finger, and it shone black. The ring flashed and a kwami was released. He looked around, frightened, looking like a cat.   
"You're all mine now." Samantha laughed. The kwami lowered his ears and hissed. "You can't do anything. You don't know the words to transform." He grinned proudly.   
"Samantha!" Carrie yelled. "You don't want to do this."  
"Don't I?" She looked down at the floating kwami. "Don't take me for a fool! I'll show you all! I'll prove you all wrong!"  
A hand grabbed my wrist, and I turned to Nathan. "What do we do?" He asked. I let out a sigh, then nodded, getting an idea. "We'll find Ladybug and Cat Noir, and this time, fast. Let's go." I pulled on his hand and led him to the school courtyard. "Where to first?" He looked around. "I'll check the office, start on the classrooms and i'll join you when i'm done."  
He gave a nod and began to leave, but I.. "Nathaniel?" I called his full name. The boy turned around confused. "What is it?" He wondered. I didn't know what to say. All I could do was wrap my arms around him in a hug then run to the office, leaving him behind.   
The hall was still the same as before, untouched. I closed my eyes, trying to avoid seeing all the decorations around. The door before me was sightly cracked. I pushed it open and looked inside. It... It was empty. I sighed and turned back, running out the hall and returning to the courtyard. Nathan was already gone, so I decided to check the bathrooms quickly. They were on the lower level through the locker rooms, just like what my old school had i'm sure. The locker rooms had a males and females sign on the doors. I would have to check both. I pulled open the females first, gazing around the room. "Hello?" I called out, closing the door behind me.   
I didn't hear anyone, but I would have to check carefully. While walking to the bathroom, I looked past each locker, finding nothing at all. What if I didn't find them? What if they're not really here? I opened the bathroom and called again. No response.   
I exit the locker room and entered the boy's. "Hello?" I asked again. I expected silence, then heard a shuffling, making me freeze in place. "Is someone there?"  
I looked through the isles again, then opened the door to the bathroom. "Y-You're.." My eyes landed on someone huddled in the corner, trying to break free of binds. I hurried over and took the tape off his mouth. "Adrian, what happened?" I began to untie the ropes around his wrists. "I don't know." He muttered. "I just remember dying, and then waking up here. I don't know how long i've been here. You're the first person i've seen since I woke up."   
I got the ropes loose and he quickly rubbed his wrists painfully. "I think someone tied me up while I was sleeping. What's going on?"  
Working at the rope on his ankles, I let out a sigh. "It's a long story I don't have time to talk about now. The short version is while you were asleep, your miraculous was stolen. You have to go outside and get it back before she takes over the city."  
His eyes flashed in surprise. When I got the rope off, Adrian hurried to his feet. "Right. I'll work on it. What about Ladybug?"  
"Her's was stolen too. She's probably somewhere around here already, so i'll go look for her. You just worry about the miraculous."  
He looked like he wanted to argue but decided against it and rushed out the door. I followed behind and returned to the courtyard. Instead of following him outside, I turned and rushed up the stairs. I didn't even get the chance to go into a room before my classroom's door opened and Marinette hurried by, not even giving me a glance. Nathan followed out, stopping beside me. "Did you find Adrian?" He asked.   
I gave him a nod. "And I see you found Marinette. We just have to leave it to them. I know they can do it."  
I paused, then grabbed his hand tightly. "I thought I was ready, but.. You can never be ready for betrayal."   
His grip tightened, and Nathan didn't speak. In truth, we were both scared out of our minds. I had to take a break for a moment, and leaned against the wall. "You... You were pretty scary out there." I started. "I thought you really wanted to destroy me."  
"I did at first. Then you reminded me of our promise and everything just felt clear again. I guess you saved me again."   
"That was good acting then." I laughed quietly, then sighed. "I would have never thought all these clues would lead back to my best friend... Is she even my friend? Was she ever?" I looked to him for advice.   
Nathan looked to the ground then shrugged. "I'm not sure. But I think she cares for you somewhat. You can't spend that much time with someone and not feel something for them."  
I could only look at him, without a word. Was he right? He's proved countless times that I could trust him, so I don't think this time was any different.  
"In the stories.." His voice went quiet. "This is where the happy ending would be. But we're not finished yet, are we?"  
"Then... A happy beginning?" I tilt my head with a smile.   
"Yeah." Nathan nodded. "I guess you could call it that."  
I don't know what I was doing. My body moved on it's own... But I was leaning in.


	29. Chapter 28: I Was Never Alone

It was... Warm. I pulled him closer. I felt safe, fearless.   
I wanted this to last forever but I had to breathe, and broke away. I looked over his face, redder than it had ever been before, but he was smiling.   
"We can do this, can't we?" I asked gently.   
"Of course we can."  
I released his hand and looked down the stairs. "It feels like so long ago, you didn't even want to talk to me. And now look."  
He laughed and scratched his head. "I guess we can't stay here any longer. There's a baddie outside we have to stop."  
"Together?" I held up my pinkie. Nathan hooked his around mine and nodded. "Together. That's a promise."  
I gave him one last smile and hurried down the stairs. I felt the bruises aching on my skin but those were nothing anymore.   
"It's over!" Adrian yelled. We rushed outside together, seeing the scene before us. The whole crowd of people was closing in on her, making Samantha back up. She was holding her hand tightly, protecting the ring. The cat kwami was following closely, trying to get close to it.  
"Samantha!" I yelled out. She turned around, glaring at me. "(y/n). You still live. I see now. I won't win until you're dead." She was suddenly charging at me fury in her eyes. I tensed up, lowering myself to get ready to run.   
Nathan suddenly took my hand and stood up straight, glaring her on. I see now.. "I'm not afraid of you!" I retort to Samantha, raising myself again. "I won't fight, because I don't need to win against you by fighting. I just need to be strong in my heart."  
She didn't slow down, then in a split second, something ran at her and tackled her down. "It's Ivan." Nathan grinned. I looked upon the large rock beast holding her down.  
"Your heart isn't very beautiful." Juleka stepped up beside him. "But I can't change that."  
An invisible force pushed passed me, breathing heavily. "Your love is as invisible as me." Sabrina laughed, making her way to Samantha.  
Another Juleka moved closer, but this one was Max, still stuck as the girl. He seemed to be having trouble walking in the heels but managed to struggle his way to Ivan as well. "This is a game with no winning for you. Just stop it already." He spoke in a clear voice.  
The final Villain hurried up with a smile. "Aw, you lost." Rose pouted. "Oh well. You were never going to win without love, you know. We have all of our friends." She grabbed a hold of the real Juleka's hand. "But you have nobody for you now." 

I looked to Nathan then approached as well. Samantha was struggled against Ivan's hold but she couldn't break free. "That's wrong." I muttered. "Samantha, you still have me. I won't fight you. But i'm not going to let evil win. Give me the miraculous, and turn yourself in." I held out my hand.   
"Caught like a fly in a spider web." July's voice suddenly spoke, almost making me jump. She stepped up beside me. I could see her true form, without the spider costume, she was shorter than me, with glasses and dressed in a uniform. Her hair and eyes never changed. Her blonde hair still cut around her shoulders in a perfect line. "You fell into your own trap, cousin Sam. It's finally time to end this." She pushed her glasses up her nose.  
"How did you get out?" I turned to her, confused.   
July scoffed quietly, lowering her head. "When I was the last one in town, there was only one thing I could do. I won't go into detail." She shook her head quickly. "But that's not the point." She moved closer to Samantha and narrowed her eyes. "You've done nothing but use me my whole life. I won't stand for this any longer. I had to suffer the whole time I was trapped in that nightmare, and now that i'm free, I won't let you control me any more. I'm free now, you know."  
Samantha didn't reply, turning away from her cousin.   
Carrie approached my other side, holding the plague doctor mask in his hand. "Sister." He started. "This used to by a symbol of my love. I wore this because you wanted me too. I hurt people for you. But i'm no monster. This only reminds me of the blackness in your heart now. For a long time in there, I couldn't remember I thing. I couldn't even remember you asking me to do any of that horrible stuff. And then I met (y/n)." He looked down to me with a smile and I returned it. "Everything came back to me again. And I knew you had to be stopped. But at the last moment, I couldn't go through with it and ended up putting her in the hospital. I was just an inconvenience there. But now I want to redeem myself. Because i'm not a criminal. I just wanted you to love me like I loved you." He threw the mask to the ground and stomped on it, shattering it around his feet.  
Samantha's eyes widened, but she still didn't speak. I guess.... It was my turn now. "Samantha." I started.   
"You were my friend. Everything I did in the beginning, I did for you. Kiwwi was my friend, and I find out he never even existed. So no, I guess I never was a hero, but it's not about what powers you have. It's about what you can do to help others." I set a hand to my heart and gave her a smile. "I made friends in that dream world. A whole class of them and more, in less than two weeks. You gave me the opportunity to do it, and i'll always be grateful for that. I was told.." I looked to Carrie and back to her. "That you wanted to be an inventor, once upon a time. I need to know, what happened to you?"

 

She was silent and still for a long time, then opened her mouth. "I did. Do you know how hard it is to fail over and over? Working so hard.. Putting so much care and love into one little thing, just to have it literally blow up in your face? That's what happened when I took it to the fair. I thought everything was going good, then it blew up in the judge's faces." She growled softly. "They took... Everything.... from me that day. My robot, my hope, my love for inventing. And now it's my turn to take it all. I won't loose this time." She started to struggle again, I reached out and set a hand on her arm. "You can't give up Samantha. That's the whole point of making something new. You have to try again and again until it works. And..." I gripped Nathan's hand. "And never stop asking questions. Think of as many questions as you can when you make it, and try to find the answers to all of them, one by one. But this isn't the way to do things. We can help you. All you need to do is speak up."  
Marinette appeared across from me, waiting for us to finish. I looked up to Samantha, her eyes glazed over. Then she started crying, clamping her eyes shut and letting the tears stream down her face quietly. The girl reached out and pulled the necklace off Samantha's neck. She prepared to break it when suddenly, Sam spoke. "W-Wait. Before you do it." She raised her head to look at Marinete. "Let me help you. I'll wipe their memories of who you guys really are... And...." She pulled the ring off her finger and held the two miraculous back. Adrian took the two items and slipped the ring back on his finger then held the earrings back to Marinette. "M'lady." He spoke quickly. "Before I forget who you are, I just want to say.. I'm glad I knew at one point, and I hope we can meet again and figure it out on our own." He gave her a smile. Marinette's cheeks burned red, and she looked down. "I-If I had known.. Yeah, I would like that too." She grinned brightly, putting her earrings back on. "Tikki." The girl began. "Spots on!"  
Marinette began to change and transform into Ladybug, and when she was done, Adrian clenched his fist and spoke. "Plaqq, claws out!"  
I smiled to the two heroes. The real ones. "It was an honor to meet your true selves." I looked around then cleared my throat and whispered across to Adrian. "Check the town hall when this is over and get rid of your document."  
He didn't ask, but nodded, slightly confused. Samantha closed her eyes and wave a hand out, muttering incoherent words. I began to feel... Empty.  
Something was leaving me. I just didn't know what it was. Something important. I felt pieces of something was gone, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I almost felt dizzy but when I shook my head, I was right where I had always been, standing before Samantha. I looked around, and everyone else seemed to be confuse as well. Ladybug was standing across from me, the black necklace in her hand. She snapped it in half, and a black mist rose from Samantha. A butterfly flew out of the necklace and followed the mist. Ladybug grabbed her yoyo and spun it around before launching it and capturing the akuma. "No more evil-doing for you little akuma." She smiled, releasing a pure white butterfly. "Bye bye little butterfly." She waved it off, then looked back to us. I gave her a nod, gripping Nathan's hand even tighter. Was was going to happen now?  
"Miraculous ladybug!" She yelled suddenly. A light flashed in my eyes, and she threw something in the air I couldn't see. When the light dimmed down, I looked around, seeing a beautiful light cross the city, transforming everything back to normal. All off the villains changed back to normal, and Samantha was released. Her long dress changed into simple clothes, and she rubbed her head, looking around. "W-Where am I?" The girl turned to all of us, looking to each of us, confused.   
I lowered myself to kneel beside her then held out my hand. "It was just a bad dream. Everything is okay now."  
She looked down to my hand then accepted my offer to pull her up. "Do I... Know you?" Samantha asked in a quiet, almost timid voice.   
I shook my head, recalling everything that happened. "Nope. We've never met. Would you like to hang out some time and get to know eachother?"  
She nodded slowly, looking to the ground and tried to hide in her own long hair. "Y-Yeah.. That would be... Fun."


	30. Epilogue

"Let's welcome our new student to class today." The teacher spoke in a loud voice. I entered the door and stood before the class, giving them a bow. "Nice to meet you all." I gave them a smile. "I'm (y/n)." That name sounded much more fitting than Raven anyway. No more need to hide myself anymore.   
"Hi (y/n)!" Marinette waved. "You look super cool."  
"(y/n)." The teacher called me. "You can sit in the back of the room." She pointed to a familiar seat. I nodded and hurried up the stairs, sitting in my old seat again. "It's good to have you back." Nathan set down his pencil.   
"It's good to be back. You had no idea how hard I had to persuade my parents to let me transfer across town. But I got some money, so I can buy a small room to stay in for the year." I put my hand in my pocket and shook the change inside, letting the coins clang around. He laughed and looked down at what he was doing. I pushed my seat closer and looked at his journal. "What's that?" I tilt my head. He pushed the paper to me with a smile. "Check it out. After this whole thing, there's no way I could just forget about it all. So i'm making it into a comic."  
I flipped through the pages, seeing the recreation of everything before me. "That's amazing."   
I stopped at one of the pages. "Is this when I met Doctor Death on the roof?" I wondered. He nodded proudly. "Y-Yeah."

I smiled down at the pages then handed it back. "I love it. I wonder if I could try making something too. Like a story. Maybe I could write about this whole thing and put it online!" I started to get excited.  
"Quiet, (y/n)." The teacher shushed. Oh, right. I gave the teacher a sheepish smile and lowered my voice.  
"That's a good idea." Nathan approved. "I could help too, i-if you wanted that is."  
"Of course I do. I would love that." I set my arms on the desk. "But what now? Is everything back to normal?"  
He replied with a shrug. "Around here, I don't think things really get back to normal. The only thing is that we're going to have to redo all the school work we did in the dream world." He let out a sigh.   
"It's no problem man. We already know it so this year will be a breeze." Nino suddenly turned around and waved it off.  
"They're right." Alix groaned. "I worked so hard on my presentation!"  
"This is ridiculous." Chloe spoke up. "Do you know how hard it was to wait for Sabrina to finish my work? I just might faint if I have to do it again." She almost sounded defeated.  
"I-It's okay Chloe!" Sabrina stuttered. "I'll go faster this time!"  
"It does kinda suck." Adrian sighed.   
"Now class." The teacher looked around. "Due to the circumstances, you WILL have to do some of it again, but a lot of it, i'll forget about. I hope you remember it all though because there's a test today."  
There was a synchronized groan from the whole class. I couldn't help but laugh quietly, then tapped Nathan's shoulder. "Are you going to try and fail this one too?" I asked quietly. He looked around then leaned in close. "How do you know about that?"  
"Mom's talk alot." I smirked. "Anyway, I think you should just do your best. Even if you get bumped a grade up, we'll still be here. After this whole thing, I think everyone became best friends. Even Chloe seems a little nicer. Don't you think?"  
He looked towards the blonde girl then nodded. "Yeah, you're right."  
The teacher began to pass out the tests one by one. Sitting in the back of the class, she handed them out to us last then returned to her desk. I pulled my paper close and read the first question.   
"Movement exhibited by plants toward the "center of the Earth" is called?" I laughed to myself, realizing I had no idea what any of these are.   
I'm glad though.   
Because everything worked out in the end. We did it, the whole class. We did it together and we won.   
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened messages, seeing a new text from Samantha.  
"(y/n)? This is your number right? Would you like to go somewhere after school? I think the museum would be nice. Of course, you don't have to come. That's okay. I was just offering."  
Yeah, this is a good chance to start over, and meet the real Samantha. I quickly typed a reply and put my phone back in my pocket.  
"Of course. I hope it's okay if I bring someone along."  
I heard my phone go off again and checked the message.  
"Yeah! You can bring as many people as you want. I don't mind."  
I didn't reply and put my phone back in my pocket. Nathan looked over from his work. "Who was that?"  
"It was S- It was Viperfang." I grinned. "How's the museum sound today?"  
"It sounds good." He paused for a moment then spoke again. "So what would you call this?"  
"What do you mean?" I picked up my pencil.  
"Would this be a good ending? Or a good beginning?"  
I had to think for a moment, then shrugged. "I dunno. I guess you could call it a little of both. It's only been a couple weeks, so who knows what'll happen later?"  
He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I agree. I still stand by my promise though. I'm gonna protect you."  
"And I'll protect you." I glanced at his notebook once more. "So what are you going to call it?"  
Nathan looked to his notebook then smiled. "I got it. How about 'We Are One'? It has a nice sound to it. Isn't that what the library book was named too?"  
I clapped quietly with a smile. "It's good. That's the perfect name."  
I decided to begin my test now and looked over the first question once more, speaking again. "Do you happen to know the answer to question one?"  
Nathan chuckled, shaking his head. "Saving your life was one thing. I shouldn't save your grades."

I let out a groan and rolled my eyes. "But it's thinking stuff. I'm not good at any of that."  
He didn't reply, and I had to look back at the question. Finally giving up, I tried to peak at the paper, only to see he was already on the next page. "How am I supposed to cheat off you when you're so far ahead?" I whined. The boy snickered then sighed. "Alright but just question one. It's geotropism."  
I quickly scribbled down the answer and thanked him.   
Well, I suppose not everything is perfect, but i've never felt better.   
I'm glad things turned out this way.   
I may not be a hero like I had thought, but I won't ever back down in the face of danger again.


	31. Behind the Scenes and Bloopers ((Spoiler Alert))

Interviewer: I'm here at the set of We Are One to get an exclusive interview with the cast. What do they have to say over their roles?

 

 

Interviewer: Raven, how did you feel on playing the reader?

Raven: Well, it was truly an interesting experience to be everyone. But I had a lot of fun and the whole cast is good friends with each other, so I looked forward to it everyday.

Interviewer: How about your lines? As being (y/n), you would have to be pretty bland for everyone to be able to relate with your actions.

Raven: Well, yeah at first. But a lot of times, I improvised. It's not just about being the everyday (y/n). I was meant to be unique as the main character. Even if I play as everyone, i'm still myself as well.

Interviewer: And how is your pay?

Raven: What pay?

 

 

Interviewer: Samantha, how did you feel about your role?

Samantha: I was supposed to be dead most of the story. But at the last minute, I got a call from the director that the script changed and I was called back to be the main villain instead. I didn't know how I was going to do that when I was dead, but I was excited to come back when I read the new script.

Interviewer: How do you feel about Raven?

Samantha: Off the set, we're awesome friends. But the moment we're on, I have to make sure I actually hate her so my scenes sound more real. She understands.

Interviewer: ???

Samantha: I stole all the cheese.

Raven: I KNEW IT WAS YOU!

 

 

Interviewer: Carrie, how did you feel about your role?

Carrie: Aw man it was such a work out. I almost quit halfway through. My mask is super heavy.

Interviewer: Besides the teachers, you're the oldest actor here. How does that make you feel?

Carrie: You insult me. I'm only Twenty two. Originally, they wanted a younger dude for the role but I was the best they had on hand.

Interviewer: On hand?

Carrie: Yeah i'm an intern. Job isn't any better. I'm still not being paid but at least I don't have to make coffee anymore. I hate the smell.

Interviewer: Your character has a strong bond with his sister, who is Samantha. What do you feel about her?

Carrie: Just another pipsqueak. It was hard to act like I really cared but I finally finished and i'm glad I did something.

Interviewer: You sound like you didn't want the job at all.

Carrie: Not really but my mom is disappointed in me and I had an opportunity. Now she can't say I didn't do anything with my life.

 

 

Interviewer: July, how did you like your role?

July: Oh man it was awesome! I had to work out a lot to carry such heavy armor with me, but I loved every minute of it!

Interviewer: Your character loves spiders. Do you?

July: Sorta. From afar, I like watching them but I don't wanna get any closer. Hey mr speaking sir?

Interviewer: Yes?

July: You smell like cinnamon. Do you have any treats on you?

Interviewer: No I-

July: Please please please! I had such a hard day today. I just want some candy!

Interviewer: Ugh I think I have a few dollars. Buy yourself something.

July: Thank you thank you!

 

 

Interviewer: Marinette, you don't play the main character this time around. How did you feel about that?

Marinette: I still got to be Ladybug, but I didn't have as many lines. When recording was done, everyone got together to watch the final product. The director was pretty nice too. I still got to be myself, just not on screen as much.

Interviewer: How do you get along with everyone on set?

Marinette: Everyone here is great!

Interviewer: And Adrian? How did it feel to record with him again?

Marinette: I mean- Ahem? A-Adrien? I don't- What do you mean?

Interviewer: I see.

 

Interviewer: Adrian, your lines were pretty small. How did that make you feel?

Adrian: Fine with me. When i'm not on set, the snack bar is my friend. Everyone takes turns to bring in snacks everyday, so it always changes. Yesterday, Alya brought cupcakes, and Juleka brought a vegetable platter today. Nathaniel is supposed to bring mini hamburgers tomorrow for our final day.

Interviewer: I thought you were done recording. What else to do you have to do?

Adrian: Nothing really. Sorta a finishing party. I hope Ladybug will come.

Interviewer: I see. And where is Ladybug?

Adrian: I don't know. She comes on set sometimes but when she doesn't show up, Marinette has to fill in.

Interviewer: You do know-?

Interviewer: ...

Interviewer: Nevermind

 

 

Interviewer: Hello Nathaniel. How did you like recording?

Interviewer: Umm.. I think... Yeah I think it was good.

Interviewer: You think?

Nathaniel: Well in Ladybug, i'm kinda a background character. I'm trying to get used to being a main character, even now.

Interviewer: For a long time, you weren't able to come on set for story build-up reasons. What did you do in the meantime?

Nathaniel: I also helped with special effects in the background. On days I didn't record, I was in the booth pushing the buttons. When I did, I would stay later to work on them. I didn't mind. It was a lot of fun. The girls sometimes argued about the food. Something about Raven's cheese and crackers going missing.

Interviewer: I see. Were you proud of the outcome?

Nathaniel: Yeah! Everyone worked pretty hard on and off screen.

Interviewer: Thank you for your time.

 

 

Interviewer: Rose, Juleka, Alix, your personalities are slightly different than in Ladybug. Why is this?

Alix: The director didn't want the story to be so depressing, so we were chosen to lighten the mood a little.

Juleka: I liked recording with Rose though.

Rose: Awe thanks! We're totally BFFs.

Interviewer: With roles as small as yours, what did you do in the meantime?

Juleka: We didn't come on some days, and just got to stay home.

Rose: Sometimes I came just to watch the recording and eat the snacks!

Juleka: I brought the snacks today. The carrots are pretty good.

Alix: I may have sorta eaten all of it already.

 

Interviewer: Hello, Alya

Alya: Hey hey.

Interviewer: You run a blog for Ladybug. Will you be putting clips of We Are One on it?

Alya: Just a few, along with a link to it. With Ladybug actually here, I had my camera on 24/7!

Alya: Apparently she really likes staring at the snack bar.

Interviewer: Did you have fun with your role?

Alya: Oh yeah! I just had to be myself the whole time. It was a breeze.

 

Interviewer: Kiwwi, nice to meet you.

Kiwwi: Heyyya!

Interviewer: So you're not really a kwami, are you?

Kiwwi: Not really.

Interviewer: Oh?

Kiwwi: I'm actually a voice actor controlling a robot. The special effects gives it life like effects, along with Ibbi.

Interviewer: So can I speak to the voice actor face to face?

Kiwwi: No can do! We're not even on set right now. Me and Ibbi are at home playing Monopoly.

Interviewer: Oh i see. Are you winning?

Ibbi: He's not even close!

Kiwwi: Ibbi no! I wanted to buy that!

 

 

Bloopers:

 

 

Prologue

 

Raven: "It's okay, Viperfang. We fight her all the time. We'll beat her again. And hey, you're me-"

Director: Cut! Raven, it's you're WITH me.

Raven: Oops.

 

 

Raven: "Viperfang go look for the akuma'tized item! I'll take care of Ara- Ca- caca. Ehe cacas. Tatas.

Director: Cut!

 

 

July: "Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly."... No that doesn't sound right? Can we change it? That's so stupid!

Director: Cut! What's the problem July?

July: It sounds weird! Why do I have to say this line? Can't I say something cooler like "My web will see you now'?

Director: This line is to emphasize how much you like spiders.

July: It doesn't fit!

Director: Just try again.

July: Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine

 

 

Samantha: Do I have to kiss her?

Director: Yes. It's right here in the script.

Samantha: Ew. But why? Can't I hug her?

Director: We need to readers to believe your character is loving. A kiss will do it.

Raven: Aw poor child are you afraid of a little smoochy smoochy?

Director: Alright! Change the script. It'll just be on the forehead.

 

 

Chapter 1:

 

Raven: This is insane. So then she's... In me? Oh god that sounds so wrong.

Director: Cut!

 

Raven: I need the other miraculous users. I have to find Ladybug and Catbug.

Director: Cut!

 

Raven: "Why are you called miraculous? Why not Marvelous... Or Ri-di-dick. Dicklicious. Huehuehue.

Director: cUT!

 

Kiwwi: Three are missing. And the last two are held by a healer and an ass.

Raven: Oh my.

Director: Cut!

 

 

Chapter 2:

 

 

Viperfang: "Or will you succumb to your... F*** What was my line again?

Director: Cut!

Raven: Ah ah no cursing in a kids show.

 

 

Kiwwi: It's crapped.

Director: Cut!

Kiwwi: Oh did I say my line wrong?

 

 

Chapter 3:

 

Teacher: What percent of fire-related deaths are due to smoke inhalation rather than burn... Burn baby burn~

Director: Very nice

 

Nathaniel: A-Actually Marinette, it's... What is that word?... What? No I can't pronounce that. What is this?

Raven: Ornithophily.

Nathaniel: Orni- Tho- Pill?

Raven: Wait let me see the script- Okay I think it's Orn-ith-o-phil-y.

Nathaniel: Oh. Okay take 2, let me try that again.

 

Marinette: Yup. That's me! How's your first day been? Has anyone told you that you look like, really cool? Like, sexy lady cool?

Director: Cut!

Raven: Wait no keep that line.

 

 

Chapter 4:

 

Marinette: Y-Yes right you're welcome anytime. I mean, it's a store so you can just walk right in whenever or you don't have too I mean it's well- I eh, you're just-

Adrian: Is Marinette okay?

Director: Cut! Marinette focus!

Raven: I think she's broken.

 

Kiwwi: I know Marinette said not to touch the dick without permission... But it was so satisfying.

Raven: Wheeezee that's not the line that was written!

Director: can we have one recording day without mentioning dicks?

 

Raven: Yea. I guess i'm just an early pepperminty sauce-

Director: Cut! What was that?

Raven: I forgot what I was going to say.

 

 

Chapter 5

 

Marinette: Here! Choose anything you'd like- Like- Like-

Director: What's the problem?

Marinette: The closet is stuck- Wait I think I- WOAH!

Raven: Can someone help Marinette up?

 

Raven: Is that... A giant robo-oot!

Marinette: Oh my gosh are you okay?

Raven: Someone put a stone behind me! I think i'm okay.

Director: Cut! Someone get the rock off the set!

 

Nathaniel: Here. You're part of the class now. Come with the- Ah man I messed it up.

Raven: Aaahhh it was going so well!

Nathaniel: Noooooo!!!

Director: Cut!

 

 

Chapter 6

 

 

Nathaniel: He must be from out of to- tow-town- Sorry.

Director: Take 5!

 

Carrie: Do I really have to cry?

Director: Yes. That's an important part.

Carrie: But I could really not care at all about her.

Director: But your character does. Do you need eye drops?

Carrie: Ugh no fine let me just think about how i'll live with my mom my whole life.

 

Raven: Those are understan- mMMmMmMMMm why can't I ever get it right on the first try!

Nathaniel: *Snickering*

Raven: You know what? I'm going to the snack bar. Everyone come with me. Foods' on me!

 

 

Raven: Be the lemon, be the lemon, be the lemon, be the lime, be the lemon. aaaahh okay i'm ready. Oh sh** are we recording already?

Samantha: HA! WHO'S CUSSING NOW?  
Chapter 7  
Nathaniel: I don't sound too deep in it, right? I could totally take care of myself.  
Raven: That's not-   
Director: Cut!  
Director: Marinette you're up!  
....

Director: Where's Marinette?  
Raven: She's staring at the snackbar again!  
Alya: Naw she's staring at Adrian.  
Marinette: Am not!  
{If you have any bloopers you want to see, drop them below and if I like them, they could be added!}


End file.
